High School Rural Scholar Program

Medical students from rural communities are the most likely candidates to practice in a rural setting upon completion of training. The High School Rural Scholars (HSRS) program provides an early opportunity for rising seniors and recent high school graduates from a rural area with an interest in health careers to gain exposure to health professions.

HSRS divide their time between shadowing at Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville and functional human anatomy tutorials at the UofL SOM Trover Campus (ULTC). They meet with current ULTC medical students to gain understanding of the life of a medical student.

Students from Hopkins, McLean, Webster, Caldwell, and Muhlenberg counties are considered for the program. All five counties are rural and are designated as Health Profession Shortage Areas (HPSA). Students are evaluated by the health professionals shadowed and receive a small stipend for participating in the 1-week program. To date, 266 students have participated in this program. At the end of the program, students also receive a letter from the Dean of ULTC with individual comments on their performance that can be used for college admission and scholarship applications.

Surveys show that HSRS perceive that they have learned much about health professions during the program as well as positively changed their opinions about rural health care.