Rural Project Examples Addressing Health workforce pipeline

Successfully Training and Educating Pre-medical Students (STEPS)
Updated/reviewed December 2022

Need: To increase the number of primary care providers in northeast Kentucky.
Intervention: STEPS provides support such as physician shadowing, mock interviews, and MCAT practice courses/exams for regional students applying to medical school.
Results: More than 70% of participants have been accepted into medical school. The program has been replicated among most of Kentucky's regional AHECs.

FORWARD NM Pathways to Health Careers
Updated/reviewed November 2022

Need: New Mexico's southwestern counties of Hidalgo, Catron, Luna, and Grant have experienced chronic shortages of primary care providers. New Mexico has the oldest physician population in the country.
Intervention: A comprehensive workforce pipeline program, including programming for middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, primary care program students, and medical and dental residents.
Results: The program reaches over 1,000 school-aged students throughout the service areas and provides support for students and medical residents in a variety of healthcare-related programs for rural rotation experiences. FORWARD NM received its designation as an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in 2012.

Frontier Area Rural Mental Health Camp and Mentorship Program (FARM CAMP)
Updated/reviewed September 2022

Need: To reduce the shortage of behavioral health professionals in rural Nebraska.
Intervention: A week-long camp teaches high school students in rural and tribal communities about different career options in behavioral health and provides mentorship after the camp ends.
Results: In 2022, 10 high school students participated in the camp, and a former camper returned to present on their work in a psychology lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Rescue Divas EMT Recruitment
Updated/reviewed June 2022

Need: Increased number of emergency medical technicians in rural northern Wisconsin.
Intervention: Creation of a program, Rescue Divas, for middle school girls to spark interest in emergency medical services careers.
Results: Post-participation results demonstrate the camp increases interest in an emergency medical services career.

Club Scrub
Updated/reviewed August 2020

Need: Rural Wisconsin communities experience threatened healthcare infrastructure due to workforce shortages.
Intervention: The Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, in partnership with the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, created a youth program to increase awareness of health-related professions known as Club Scrub.
Results: Middle-school students attend the program and gain a better understanding of career options in the healthcare industry.

Project PROMISE
Updated/reviewed April 2019

Need: An increased interest among young people to pursue a medical career in rural North Carolina
Intervention: Two medical students started a program that gives high school seniors medical academic training, mentor relationships, and hands-on experience in rural North Carolina facilities.
Results: Project PROMISE has graduated 26 high school students, 7 of whom are pursuing an undergraduate degree with an interest in studying medicine.

Rural Project Examples: Health workforce pipeline