Both urban and rural populations in Ohio share some of the same health needs and obstacles to access, due to physician shortages. Ohio State has developed rural and urban family medicine tracks in its Family Medicine residency program to fill this void.
Urban residents practice on Columbus’ Near East Side and rural residents receive training in the farming communities of Logan County, Ohio.
Residents in the urban track focus on prenatal and postnatal care, outpatient management of HIV/AIDS, minor surgical procedures, interpretive services, health promotion and disease prevention. To improve access, the family medicine site at University Hospital East maintains evening and weekend hours and accepts many forms of low-income payment.
Residents in Ohio State’s rural track are trained to build relationships with patients and to address their mental, social and spiritual health in addition to their physical health. Ohio State’s rural program maintains a high-volume continuity obstetrics practice.
Amy Gust, MD, a former rural track resident now practicing in Tennessee, was drawn to the program. “I saw my own patients in the hospital year-round. It allows for better continuity of care and a deeper relationship,” says Gust. “I was mentored by wonderful physicians at Ohio State. They helped me choose my best fit.”