The Benton County Enterprise recently reported on a two-week immersive experiential learning project taken on by 10 UMKC School of Pharmacy Students. The endeavor was part of the UM Systems Rural Scholars Pipeline which seeks to introduce students to prospective careers in rural healthcare.
There are currently 250 Primary Health Care shortage areas in the State of Missouri, which ranks 40th in the U.S. population's overall health.
The article quotes Dr. Kelly Cochran, Clinical Assistant Professor at UMKC School of Pharmacy and Director of UMKC's Rural Health Initiatives within the School of Pharmacy.
“This program provides clinical placement and inter-professional activities such as health screening, and farm visits... If the health-professional students are trained and exposed early on, there is more of a chance that they might serve in rural areas after they graduate."
UMKC has taken a significant role in increasing Rural Healthcare services for the Sate. In June of 2020, The UMKC School of Medicine opened a new campus in St. Joseph, Missouri in partnership with Mosaic Life Care focused specifically on training rural physicians.
