Schuller Kristin A, Amundson Mary, McPherson Makenzie, Halaas Gwen W
a Department of Social and Public Health , Ohio University , Athens , Ohio , USA.
b Primary Care Office & Interprofessional Education , University of North Dakota , Grand Forks , North Dakota , USA.
J Interprof Care. 2017 May;31(3):410-412. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2017.1283299. Epub 2017 Feb 28.
The University of North Dakota programme, Students/residents Experiences And Rotations in Community Health (SEARCH), was implemented to address recruitment and retention problems and stereotypes associated with practicing in rural areas by providing an opportunity for health profession students to gain experience living and practicing in rural areas and observing interprofessional practice. Each health profession student in the programme (n = 181) from 2001 to 2011 (excluding 2009) kept a four-week journal detailing daily or weekly interactions, general thoughts, and experiences. Students who participated were from medical, psychology, dental, social work, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant professions. Results were grouped into three major themes around whether the experience increased their knowledge of healthcare issues in rural areas in North Dakota, increased their knowledge about interprofessional teams, and expanded their rural awareness. Overall, students valued this interprofessional experience, learned how to work in collaborative teams, and reported having a better understanding of the needs and problems in rural healthcare. Recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in rural healthcare exhibit many challenges. The SEARCH programme has helped to alleviate some of these challenges; however, continued support for these programmes is necessary to sustain the delivery of interprofessional healthcare in rural areas.
北达科他大学的“学生/住院医师社区健康体验与轮转项目（SEARCH）”旨在通过为健康专业学生提供在农村地区生活、实践和观察跨专业实践的机会，解决招聘和留用问题以及与农村地区执业相关的刻板印象。该项目中2001年至2011年（不包括2009年）的每一位健康专业学生（n = 181）都写了一本为期四周的日记，详细记录每日或每周的互动、总体想法和经历。参与的学生来自医学、心理学、牙科、社会工作、执业护士和医师助理等专业。结果围绕该经历是否增加了他们对北达科他州农村地区医疗保健问题的了解、是否增加了他们对跨专业团队的认识以及是否扩展了他们的农村意识，分为三个主要主题。总体而言，学生重视这种跨专业体验，学会了如何在协作团队中工作，并表示对农村医疗保健的需求和问题有了更好的理解。农村医疗保健领域医护人员的招聘和留用面临诸多挑战。SEARCH项目有助于缓解其中一些挑战；然而，持续支持这些项目对于维持农村地区跨专业医疗保健服务的提供是必要的。
