URMED Scholars Begin Rural Medicine Internships
The URMED internship is awarded to select BVU pre-med students who have an interest in practicing rural medicine. Students are introduced to a variety of clinical and healthcare practices at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center and other area rural hospitals.
The Undergraduate Rural Medicine Education and Development (URMED) program selected three Buena Vista University students for its January 2019 scholars program. These students have begun their internships, which include a white coat ceremony and a three-week internship.
The students selected for the January 2019 URMED internship are Kalab Kibret, a junior biomedical sciences major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Derek Hunwardsen, a senior biology major from Fairmont, Minn; and Megan Wassom, a junior biomedical sciences major from Royal.
The URMED internship is awarded to select BVU pre-med students who have an interest in practicing rural medicine. During their internship, the students are introduced to a variety of clinical and healthcare practices at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center (BVRMC) and other area rural hospitals. The URMED scholar recipients are also each given a $3,000 stipend provided by BVU and the participating hospitals to help them cover the costs of applying to medical school.
The URMED program was developed through a partnership with BVU and BVRMC. Along with the URMED program, BVRMC provides learning opportunities throughout the academic year for BVU students who are pursuing careers in medicine and other health care professions.
The URMED program was designed to help alleviate the impending national shortage of physicians and other healthcare practitioners in rural communities. While URMED participants are not required to return to the communities where they interned, they are encouraged to practice medicine in a rural area.