URMED Intensifies Passion for Medical Service in Rural Settings
The landmark Buena Vista University/Buena Vista Regional Medical Center program celebrates its 13th year with an endowment established by the late Delwin and Meda Otteman estate and Harold Geisinger.
Two Buena Vista University (BVU) students who completed the Undergraduate Rural Medicine Education and Development (URMED) program in May noted how the experience excites them for a future serving others in medicine.
“In 10 years, I would like to be a physician practicing in the Midwest,” says Molly Barten, a senior to-be biomedical sciences major from Zearing. “Any opportunity to shadow physicians has my interest. URMED helped me to learn about rural medicine and the variety of patients a rural physician can see in a day.”
“I job-shadowed physician’s assistants and doctors,” says Yurika “Lily” Matsuda, a junior to-be from Sidney majoring in biomedical sciences. “I was able to watch a paracentesis, a C-section, an intubation, and an ankle ligament reconstruction surgery. The entire experience reignited my motivation toward becoming a doctor.”
The URMED program developed through a partnership between BVU and Buena Vista Regional Medical Center (BVRMC) in Storm Lake 13 years ago. The internship is awarded to select BVU pre-med students who have an interest in practicing medicine in rural areas. During the internship, Barten and Matsuda were introduced to a variety of clinical and healthcare practices at BVRMC, Pocahontas Community Hospital in Pocahontas, and Stewart Memorial Hospital in Lake City. Both students earned a $3,000 stipend from BVU and the participating hospitals to help them cover costs of applying to medical school.
BVU has received substantial boosts to sustain the URMED effort from gifts provided by benefactors including the late Delwin and Meda Otteman, and Harold Geisinger.
“Endowments established by the Delwin and Meda Otteman estate and Harold Geisinger allow us to keep building upon a wonderful connection BVU established with the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in the URMED initiative more than a decade ago,” says President Brian Lenzmeier. “The commitment by our benefactors to supporting rural access to medicine through education allows both BVU and BVRMC to continue working with BVU students, encouraging and challenging them as they gain a foothold in a career field devoted to caring for others who live in rural communities. We are grateful for the support that keeps URMED at work for all of us.”
“I am frequently interacting with graduates who completed the [URMED] program and have their future plans more in focus. Many of these individuals keep a strong connection to rural practice, and all share how impactful URMED was in sharpening their career goals.”
Dr. Kyle Glienke, BVRMC
“We were thrilled to have such great applicants for our URMED program this year,” says Dr. Thom Bonagura, Dean of the BVU School of Science. “We were able to choose two students in Molly and Lily that have outstanding futures in healthcare. They are excellent ambassadors for BVU and the quality of our education in the health sciences.”
Doctors with BVU connections served as primary advisors for the URMED students. Dr. Kyle Glienke, Dr. Joan Nilles, and Dr. Lisa Shepherd, all BVU graduates, advised both Barten and Matsuda, as did Dr. Sabrina Martinez, who completed the URMED program as a staff member serving BVU Admissions in 2011.
“I always have wonderful things to say about URMED,” says Glienke, a 2009 BVU graduate, whose 2008 internship at BVRMC in Storm Lake confirmed his decision to go into medicine and, ultimately, helped serve as a precursor to the URMED program. “I am frequently interacting with graduates who completed the program and have their future plans more in focus. Many of these individuals keep a strong connection to rural practice, and all share how impactful URMED was in sharpening their career goals.”
“One of the biggest benefits of my URMED experience involves the conversations I had and the connections I made with our local doctors,” Matsuda says. “Being able to ask them so many questions will benefit me as I continue my career in medical school.”
Barten and Matsuda relate their gratitude for an URMED program founded more than a decade ago, an effort they envision will continue paying dividends for them and the communities they will one day serve.
“Every appointment throughout my experience was a highlight for me,” Barten says. “I observed doctors treating everyone from a newborn to a 93-year-old. They were excellent teachers who communicated so well with their patients, explaining complex diseases and symptoms in an understandable way.”
The URMED experience in Storm Lake also allowed students the chance to see the diversity of the community from a medical standpoint, according to Barten.
“Patients spoke languages I had never heard of and came from countries around the world,” she says. “I think shadowing in a rural, yet diverse, area is special about Storm Lake.”
“We are proud of Molly and Lily and remain eager to keep building upon this unique partnership with Buena Vista Regional Medical Center and our prestigious URMED fellowship as it continues to positively affect the lives of future healthcare providers,” Bonagura says.
“I am filled with gratitude toward my professors, BVU, and BVRMC,” Barten concludes. “They all worked to make URMED possible, especially during a challenging year. This excellent opportunity reminds me of why I chose BVU in the first place.”