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Institute for Community and Rural Health 2018 RUSH students selected

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The Rural Undergraduate Shadowing in Healthcare Program is designed to provide participants with a unique experience that offers insight into what it is like to practice a health profession in rural West Virginia. Participants must be a current WVU student in good academic standing that is planning to pursue a health career with the long-term goal of practicing in rural and/or underserved areas of West Virginia in one of the following disciplines: Medicine-Family Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics or Dentistry. Selected students shadow a rural practitioner for a total of 20 hours during specific dates agreed upon by the participating practitioner and the student and work with the WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health and the WVU PreHealth Professional Development Office to identify other rural-related programs relevant to your chosen health profession discipline including research and service activities. RUSH students also meet one or more times with the PreHealth Professional Development Office to put together their professional school application which includes guidance on class choice, writing a personal statement, mock interviews, and obtaining a committee letter.

This year's RUSH-ers are Eva MacFarland, a junior majoring in Biology and Psychology, from Bridgeport. She will shadow Dr. Joanna Bailey at Tug River Medical Center in Pineville. Kristin Ruddle, a junior majoring in Biology from Brandywine. She will shadow Dr. Stephanie Sisler at Wellspring Family Medicine in Terra Alta. Ryan Kirk, a junior from Weirton majoring in Biology will shadow dentists at Minnie Hamilton Health Systems in Grantsville.

For more information contact Christie J. Zachary, Program Coordinator, WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health christie.zachary@hsc.wvu.edu