A new collaboration aims to address staffing shortages in rural hospitals and clinics. CHI Health and Creighton University will train the next generation of physicians using hybrid residency programs. These one-of-a-kind residency programs will give medical students the chance to immerse themselves in rural health care. The hope is that they will consider staying there with some experience. “You go to any small town in the country, any rural area, and they’ll tell you they desperately need primary care doctors and they desperately need psychiatry,” Dr. Cary Ward, Chief Medical Officer of CHI Health. . CHI Health and Creighton’s School of Medicine are trying to meet this challenge head-on. The two new programs will expose students to urban and rural health care in Nebraska. Students will spend half of their training at University Medical Center Bergan Mercy in Omaha and another half at CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney. “It’s really been shown that where residents and fellows complete their training, they’re much more likely to stay there,” said Dr. Joann Porter, associate dean for graduate medical education at Creighton. “Hoping that they’ll stay in those communities once they’ve finished those programs. And then being able to deal with not only people like in Kearney, for example, but Kearney covers a lot of the communities that l ‘surround,” Ward said. Thirty-four percent of Nebraskans live in rural areas, which is higher than the national average. These residents tend to see more deaths from cancer, lung disease and stroke than city dwellers. Traditionally, most medical training takes place in urban areas. But the new federal funding is part of why the two organizations are able to offer these programs now. “Congress passed an appropriations act that expanded funding for residencies and fellows for the first time since 1996 for areas of need,” Porter said. Hybrid programs in internal medicine and psychiatry are already open to applicants. The first students will be selected by March next year with a program start date of late next summer. “I am thrilled to bring our excellent training programs in internal medicine and psychiatry,” Porter said. “Our residents will benefit from learning from some of the best doctors in these communities and the community will benefit from attracting more ‘local’ doctors to stay and practice. That will be a great synergy and help one of the biggest disparities in healthcare in Nebraska and Iowa.”
A new collaboration aims to address staffing shortages in rural hospitals and clinics.
CHI Health and Creighton University will train the next generation of physicians using hybrid residency programs.
These one-of-a-kind residency programs will give medical students the chance to immerse themselves in rural health care. The hope is that they will consider staying there with some experience.
“You go to any small town in the country, any rural area, and they’ll tell you they desperately need primary care doctors and they desperately need psychiatry,” Dr. Cary Ward, Chief Medical Officer of CHI Health. .
CHI Health and Creighton’s School of Medicine are trying to meet this challenge head-on.
The two new programs will expose students to urban and rural health care in Nebraska. Students will spend half of their training at University Medical Center Bergan Mercy in Omaha and another half at CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney.
“It’s really been shown that where residents and fellows complete their training, they’re much more likely to stay there,” said Dr. Joann Porter, associate dean for graduate medical education at Creighton.
“Hoping that they’ll stay in those communities once they’ve finished those programs. And then being able to deal with not only people like in Kearney, for example, but Kearney covers a lot of the communities that l ‘surround,” Ward said.
Thirty-four percent of Nebraskans live in rural areas, which is higher than the national average. These residents tend to see more deaths from cancer, lung disease and stroke than city dwellers.
Traditionally, most medical training takes place in urban areas. But the new federal funding is part of why the two organizations are able to offer these programs now.
“Congress passed an appropriations act that expanded funding for residencies and fellows for the first time since 1996 for areas of need,” Porter said.
Hybrid programs in internal medicine and psychiatry are already open to applicants. The first students will be selected by March next year with a program start date of late next summer.
“I am thrilled to bring our excellent training programs in internal medicine and psychiatry,” Porter said. “Our residents will benefit from learning from some of the best doctors in these communities and the community will benefit from attracting more ‘local’ doctors to stay and practice. This will be a great synergy and help one of the biggest disparities in healthcare in Nebraska and Iowa.”
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