As part of the targeted rural health education project, UND medical students write newspaper articles to reach local communities
Health care is full of complicated conversations that are hard to talk about. From colon cancer screenings to opioid addiction, medical topics can be difficult to discuss and navigate. UND rural health center attempts to initiate public discussion on these topics and more by presenting them through one of the oldest venues for public discussion: the local newspaper.
THE Targeted rural health education project, a joint effort of the UND Center for Rural Health, the UND Department of Family and Community Medicine and the North Dakota Rural Health AssociationSince 2017, connects rural medical students with writers and publishers. Since its inception, it has captured the attention and admiration of healthcare professionals across the region.
In June, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Health Equity Conference selected the Center for Rural Health to introduce TRHE and its benefits, as well as record a StoryCorps conversation about the program.
Over six years, the program facilitated the publication of 48 articles written by medical students for rural journals. The purpose of the articles is to promote health literacy in rural areas and to strengthen the connection between rural areas and their health professionals.
Temple of Dr. Kay Millerweb writer at the Center for Rural Health and writing mentor for TRHE, finds that the main focus of the program aligns well with her health care values.
Miller Temple grew up on a farm and practiced medicine for several years before assuming his current role.
“My first language is not medical jargon, my first language is the farmer’s language,” she said. “So when I was working in a clinical role, I found that people were more receptive when I communicated clearly.
“I try to teach these students that you don’t know what power you have until you meet the patients where they are. You may be the smartest doctor in the world, but there’s always a lag until you learn to speak clearly with your patients.
Improving health literacy is the primary goal of TRHE. The term refers to access to and understanding of essential physical and mental health information and is a crucial measure of equity in health care. However, rural communities are often overlooked in this regard.
To increase health literacy, the TRHE program provides articles written by medical students directly to local newspapers in the communities in which the students live and work.
“Rural newspapers are huge news engines in their communities,” said Stacy Kusler, Workforce Specialist at the Rural Health Centre. “Yes, people are still getting information online, but a lot of people in these communities want to know what’s going on where they live.”
Kusler is the project coordinator for TRHE, where she facilitates the publishing process, from initial introductions to printing articles.
“I work with rural newspapers across the state to connect them to a completed article. I have established good relationships with the communities where we have the most students in training,” she said.
“I am able to connect students with editors and publishers, explain the project and reassure them that they will receive something new, relevant and ready for the newspaper without a ton editing. This is all due to the hard work of Kay and the students.
Additionally, Kusler explained that establishing a relationship between doctors and newspapers has a positive effect on the health of a community.
“The partnership between health professionals and rural newspapers is really important. Instead of waiting for a patient to come to the hospital or clinic, sharing information in this way can have immediate positive effects on the health of the community,” she said. “I also think it helps build a bond of trust and loyalty between the general public and this vital part of their community.”
One of the most vital steps in the process is ensuring that the final article reflects the needs of its audience. To do this, Kusler, Miller Temple and the students review each community’s community health needs assessment, allowing them to focus on a topic that interests the student while remaining relevant.
“Nationally, all hospitals are required to do a Community Health Needs Assessment, and there is a section in the publication of it that identifies the main health needs of the community,” Kusler explained. “We ask the student to go from this list and think of possible articles that are publishable and of interest to them. We really leave the field open to students because that’s how we get the best papers.
Mitch Gullickson, a third-year medical student at UND who is currently doing rotations in Fargo, said he chose to write about mental health crisis management because he needed more talk about the subject. Plus, it gave her a better understanding of how to communicate issues like this to her patients.
“I think in medicine, 90% of your communication will be with your patients. That’s why participating in this program was great, because it allowed me to develop skills that helped me communicate better with the general public.
Gullickson spent eight weeks writing his article while in Mayville. On the process of working with Temple Miller, Gullickson said it was instructive for him as a writer and medical professional.
“The process took me about three drafts, from start to finish. The first one I submitted contained a lot of jargon that I had learned in medical school. Throughout the reviews, I found that my drafts were continually improving and I was learning more about how I could communicate effectively with patients,” Gullickson said.
Students participating in TRHE generally fall into one of two categories: those who participate in the program on an elective basis while working in rural areas, and students who complete it as part of the required Family and Community Medicine program at the University. ‘UND. Rural Opportunities in Medical Education experience.
Sophomore Abigail Smith, whose involvement with ROME saw her work for several months at a clinic in Ortonville, Minnesota, said she took the opportunity to write about something she had been interested in for a long time. .
“My undergraduate degree was in neuroscience, so head injuries and concussions were already something I was interested in,” she said. “It’s something I think everyone should understand, so going through the process with Kay, learning how to use simpler words and write in a more accessible way has been really valuable to me.”
Smith said Miller Temple’s emphasis on plain language didn’t come naturally at first, but the process was valuable.
“It was challenging in the sense that it’s completely different from the analytical writing that we were trained in as part of our undergraduate and graduate studies. It was difficult to modify my writing to be ready for a wider audience, but it’s really important to know how to provide adequate and true information in a way that everyone can understand,” she concluded.
On the other hand, Logan Schmaltz, who is currently completing his residency in Fargo, has decided to attend TRHE electively while living in Devils Lake.
She had developed an interest in rural health after teaching a Medical College Admissions Test Preparation course for INMEDUND’s Indians into Medicine program, which took her on a field trip to Belcourt, ND She said the visit showed her there was a need for doctors in rural North Dakota.
“It’s very different from more urban areas like Grand Forks and Fargo,” she said. “Resources are limited, equipment is limited and specialist care is more difficult for patients to access. So I ended up getting really interested in Native American and rural health, in part because the health disparities can be so great.
Schmaltz said his participation in TRHE gave him a more complete view of the state of rural health care and broadened his view of the circumstances around him.
“It definitely changes your perspective, it makes you reconsider some of your biases and see how some of these patients think about health care,” she said. “It may have nothing to do with the individual and how they take care of themselves; sometimes it’s just a matter of access to information and care.
Schmaltz has chosen to write about epigenetics, the study of environmental and behavioral effects on genes, which she says aligns with her growing interest in Native American health care. The freedom to pursue a subject was a major selling point for her in participating in the program.
“This program gives you the opportunity to do your own research, talk to people, and write an essay that everyone can hopefully understand. It just helps to think about medicine in a different way than you you would learn from a textbook,” Schmaltz said.
“This is a perfect project because it engages these students in their community. This makes it meaningful to readers once the article is published,” Miller Temple said. “That starts the conversation, which is really what it’s all about.”
A complete list of TRHE articles is available on the North Dakota Rural Health Association website. Web page.