The secret sauce to a vibrant physician workforce is early community exposure

Over the summer, many young Alaska WWAMI medical students p​articipated in a transformative 4-week elective ​a​cross the state. The Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP, said as “roo-op”) is for students between their first and second years of medical school that are interested in experiencing a practice in the Alaska bush. Physicians in remote communities are jack-of-all-trade, rugged individualists and those characteristics serve as healthcare cornerstones in many areas of Alaska’s Greatland.

Alaska has a well-documented health care worker shortage and that is partly due to recruitment challenges. But a proven way to successfully recruit and retain physicians is to expose them early and often to rural communities. Alaska WWAMI Medical Education’s RUOP experience is designed to do just that. This summer, we saw our students train alongside physician teachers in Yakatat, Cordova, Galena, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Soldotna, and more. All told, we had 15 Alaska WWAMI medical students living and training in communities that need physicians.

My own journey into rural medicine was ignited during my Alaska WWAMI student days when I worked alongside an inspiring OB/GYN physician and her Pediatrician husband in Palmer. Their unwavering commitment to community health left a mark on me; in 1987, I co-founded Matanuska Health Care. Ten years later, to contribute to the establishment of Alaska's first graduate medical education residency, I helped found the Alaska Family Medicine Residency Program.

Through these experiences, I witnessed firsthand the power of cultivating homegrown physicians who understand and embrace the unique challenges and joys of rural healthcare. It is not a stretch to say that I am passionate about rural physician recruitment and retention, which goes hand-in-hand with Alaska WWAMI’s mission of training Alaskans in Alaska, for Alaska.

Through unique programs like RUOP, Alaska WWAMI Medical Education offers students a chance to see areas of their home state they’ve never been to, and to care for fellow Alaskans alongside compassionate local physicians that understand the community on a deep level. The physician, who volunteers their time for WWAMI students to train alongside them, benefits by having a bright, enthusiastic student bring a new perspective and ask well-informed and thoughtful questions that keeps their skills honed. Patients, too, enjoy interacting with the young medical students and are frequently gracious and supportive to their medical student learners.

As we wrap up this summer’s RUOP, I’m celebrating the special programs that Alaska WWAMI offers to help shape the careers of aspiring physicians while also ensuring that our remote communities receive the care they deserve.

Barbara Doty, M.D., is a board certified family physician in Wasilla and the Regional Assistant Clinical Dean for Alaska WWAMI, her alma mater. She has over 40 years of experience in the medical education and family care fields, and is a proud member of her Palmer-Wasilla community in Alaska.