Access to healthcare in rural Wisconsin can be limited. The Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) is working to change that. Through WARM, UW–Madison medical students train at Aurora BayCare Medical Center to serve communities where doctors are needed most.
“I’m from a rural community, just south of Green Bay actually in Reedsville, Wisconsin,” said Marie Wedepohl, a fourth-year med student. “I grew up on a hobby farm and once I realized I wanted to practice medicine, I knew I’d want to come back and work in a rural community.”
Aurora BayCare is one of three campuses supporting WARM students. “There’s a disproportionate number of physicians in Wisconsin in the major cities... but the rural areas need more physicians,” said Dr. Michael Medich, Director of Medical Education. “Aurora BayCare is well-positioned... to help train those students who may want to come back to this area.”
Students gain hands-on experience in rural-focused care, including wilderness medicine, without competing with residents or fellows. About half of WARM graduates go on to practice in rural communities.
“Not only is it important to recruit people who are from rural areas,” Wedepohl said, “programs like this... can show people the benefits of a lifestyle there, to get them the experience they need so that they’re willing to come to those communities to work there.”
To learn more about the WARM program, visit Aurora BayCare’s website: WARM program Green Bay, Wisconsin (WI), Aurora Baycare
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