Students Learn About Rural Medicine

med students

By Dan Bechtold, Editor

Two college students spent a month in Winner learning about rural medicine.

Elizabeth Scholl, Brookings, is a medical lab science student at South Dakota State University and Jodi Sutton, Sioux Falls, is a family nurse practitioner student, also at SDSU.

Both women took part in the Rural Experiences for Health Professions Students (REHPS). The program places college students who are enrolled in a health program in a four week experience with preceptors established in rural areas of South Dakota. The students are exposed to all areas of a rural healthcare community.

The last day for the two women was on May 31 and they gave a presentation on what they have learned in the month spent in Winner.

They both said the experience was amazing.

Sutton said they were able to observe surgical procedures, see patients in the clinic, help in the lab and pharmacy and watch a couple of births.

Sutton noted in a larger city like Sioux Falls she would not have had the opportunity to see all he things she saw in Winner.

“The community of Winner has really welcomed us and we got to do a lot of fun things like attend a little kids baseball game, attend a movie at the Winner Drive-In Theater and tour the fire hall and ambulance bay,” said Sutton. They also had a chance to visit a farm.

Scholl said she likes chemistry and started out as a chemistry major. She wanted to do something in the medical field so switched to medical lab science.

As part of the REHPS program the students are required to do a community project. They presented a sun safety lesson to second graders and gave each one a pair of sunglasses.

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