A Reflection on the Rural Rotation
This story is written by Velvet Jensen,SSOM Class of 2028.
The rural experience can seem intimidating at first. You may not get lost navigating the building, but learning to navigate small-town relationships with patients and the team becomes very important.
For students like myself, who grew up relying on rural hospitals, the rotation felt like going home. The hospital wasn’t the daunting maze I had adapted to in Sioux Falls. The pace was slower and learning seemed easier. At times, it felt like a medical-themed vacation–a space where I could practice writing histories and fine–tuning skills in an environment that kept me relaxed.
For other students, the experience offers a new perspective. Meghan Kuntz, who grew up near Minneapolis and worked in large hospitals, found the transition eye-opening.
“You know that there aren’t hospitalists in rural areas,” she shares, “but it hadn’t occurred to me that it would mean the family medicine doctor was rounding and following their hospitalized patients.”
Her experience opened her eyes to just how broadly doctors must practice in rural areas.
While every attending approaches teaching differently, the rural setting always has something new to teach each student. One of the most important lessons I learned was adaptability. In medical school, we are often taught how medical care is offered in the ideal situation when resources are readily available and systems run efficiently.
Rural medicine is different. When the same physician sees a patient in both clinic and the emergency room, decisions shift. Care may begin in clinic and continue there as long as possible. Accessing specialists may require creativity and persistence, especially when they are only available once a month. My attending worked tirelessly to squeeze patients into an already busy schedule and ensure care was accessible. That adaptation and will is just what it takes to work in a rural area.
Another major benefit of the rural rotation is the opportunity to develop clinical skills more quickly. In larger hospital settings, it can take time to build trust with a new physician. In the rural rotation, that trust often comes sooner. The very nature of a rural hospital is all hands on deck.
On my first day, I expected to spend time observing before gradually taking on more responsibility. Instead, after seeing our first patient, my attending looked up from her computer and said, “Why don’t you go see the next one?” From that point on, I saw nearly every patient. I learned when to focus my history, how to both broaden and refine my differential and how to think more independently. With guidance and patience, my attending gently steered my learning and shaped not only my clinical skills but also my confidence.
Upon returning to the LIC in Yankton, I felt more at ease stepping into patient encounters. I know I am more capable, and I am more comfortable when I don’t know the answer right away.
While the uncertainty of rural rotations can seem stressful at first, the experience ultimately leaves you more prepared. Whether you intend to practice in a rural community or pursue the fast-paced urban setting, the rural rotation has something valuable to take from it. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow in my next rural rotation during Pillar 3.
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