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Past Student Experiences
Boonshoft School of Medicine started placing medical students in rural rotations in 2013. In the first 6 years, 106 rotations (including both clerkship and elective rotations) have been completed at our rural sites. Alumni who have completed rural rotations have matched into a variety of specialties at residencies across the country.
Rural 101: Tips from Past Students
- Be flexible – Rural physicians often have many additional duties other than seeing patients in their office. Take advantage of these additional opportunities to see how physicians serve as community leaders. Some past examples of “outside-the-clinic” duties that you could be exposed to include hospital committee meetings, sports physical fairs at local schools, nursing home rounds, working with pubic health officials, regional research teleconferences, etc.
- Be proactive - The medical education culture is still being established at many of our rural health systems and support staff may not be familiar with working with learners. Be proactive during your rotation. Introduce yourself to everyone and show that you would like to be as involved as possible in clinical duties.
- Actually talk to your patients – A piece of advice you should take throughout your clinical experiences, whether rural or not. Past students have been surprised at how welcoming the rural patients are to medical students in their community. Patients often thank students and ask about their career plans, etc.
- Explore your community – Rural alumni recommend staying weekends during your rotation! Explore the town. Shop and eat at local businesses. Take the time to see where your patients live. It will also save some drive time and is the perfect opportunity for some uninterrupted study time with few distractions.
- Make the most of your drive time – Most rural alumni report the amount of driving is the biggest “con” to rural rotations. Unfortunately driving to and from Dayton for didactics must be done so make the most out of your time in the car. Past students have discovered fun podcasts, had uninterrupted phone time with friends and family, or even found medicine-related podcasts to “study” during the drive. The American Family Physician Podcast is a favorite during the family medicine clerkship.
Rural Alumni Spotlight
Jerika Ortlieb, M.D.
Dr. Ortlieb, BSOM Class of ’18, completed rural Family Medicine and General Surgery clerkships during her MS3 year. Her favorite part of her rural rotations was working one-on-one with attending physicians. Dr. Ortlieb says her rural clerkships were wonderful, hands-on educational experiences unlike what is common at large academic centers. She is currently a family medicine resident with Soin Family Medicine in Beavercreek, OH. She hopes to practice broad spectrum family medicine with interests in academic medicine, rural medicine, and international health.
Jerosen C. Williams
Jerosen C. Williams, BSOM Class of ’19, completed his family medicine clerkship with Dr. Masser at Mercer Health. When describing his rural experience, he says “For the first time, I felt like an actual clinician. My notes mattered. My physical exam mattered. I was an integral part of the team.” Jerosen will complete a general surgery residency at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. His career goals include becoming the Chief of Surgery for a major urban hospital.
Brett Fields
Brett Fields, BSOM Class of ’19, completed his family medicine and pediatric clerkships with Grand Lake Health System. One of Brett’s favorite parts of his rural rotations was feeling like he made a difference by coming up with creative solutions to help his patients. He also enjoyed frequent opportunities to practice motivational interviewing and patient education. He will complete his psychiatry residency with the Wright State University Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Dayton, OH. He would like to initiate a global health telepsychiatry program in his future practice.
Jenna Decker
Jenna Decker, BSOM Class of ’19, rotated with Drs. Jonathon and Michelle Winner with Mercer Health for her family medicine clerkship. Jenna says “moving to rural Ohio for 6 weeks was a fantastic experience” and “the community is very welcoming and quite dynamic.” She encourages future students to spend time exploring the area and local events such as the Minster Oktoberfest or Eldora Speedway. She will complete her neurology residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. Jenna plans to stay involved in academia, including mentoring residents and medical students and paving a pathway for more female neurologists to serve in leadership roles.
Tyrel Fisher
Tyrel Fisher, BSOM Class of ’19, completed his family medicine, pediatrics, and general surgery clerkships at rural sites. He recommends rural rotations to future students because they allow for a more hands-on experience. When recounting his rural surgery rotation, he says “I got to first assist all surgeries and drive back and forth between two different hospitals to see patients like a country doc.” Tyrel will complete his emergency medicine residency at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. His future career goal is to serve as a medical director for search and rescue teams with the National Park Service.
Jessica Uhler
Jessica Uhler, BSOM Class of ’19, completed six rotations at rural sites during her clinical training including AHEC preceptorship, Family Medicine, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, General Surgery, and Neurology. She recommends rural rotations to future students largely because of the one-on-one time with attendings. She says, “I found my rural rotations to be of more substance than my Dayton rotations, mainly because there are no residents. The attendings truly treat you more like an intern.” Jessica will complete her family medicine residency at Community Hospital East in Indianapolis, IN. She plans to practice outpatient family medicine in a rural community and mentor rural students interested in medicine.
Matthew Diehl
Matthew, Boonshoft School of Medicine Class of '21 says, "the opportunity to electively complete rotations rurally had been an interest of mine since my days of applying to medical school at Wright State. The Wright Rural Medical Scholars program provided a transformative experience to ascertain skills and knowledge at a higher level by receiving one-on-one instruction. I truly believe this accelerated my clinical acumen and hands-on abilities, all while allowing me to create relationships with patients in such a tight-knit community. I am forever grateful to my preceptors and the community for letting me participate in their patient care."