BEYOND CAMPUS
Getting a
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Rural Physicians Program
scholarship certainly solidified my decision about my future...The program empowers people to pursue their
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dream of rural medicine.
–Dr. John Russell McPherson, B.S. 2008 Dr. John Russell McPherson, a 2008 Millsaps alumnus, graduated in the top 10 in his medical school class at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. “Getting a Rural Physicians Program scholarship certainly solidified my decision about my future,” he said. “The program empowers people to pursue their dream of rural medicine.” A native of Inverness, McPherson misses the small town way of life. “I like that I will be able to know my patients and their families,” he said. “I feel like I am being encouraged to do what I want to do. That means a lot.” An avid outdoorsman, he also looks forward to living near areas where he can hunt and fish regularly. Janie Guice, executive director of the Rural Physicians Scholarship Program from its establishment unti her retirement in January, said about 20 students from 70 applicants are selected each year for the undergraduate portion of the program. “Most of these individuals are from rural areas and want to raise their families in a small town environment where family, church, and community are especially valued,” she said. According to Guice, 72 of the 82 counties in Mississippi are medically underserved. The state ranks last in physicians per capita while leading the nation in obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, teen pregnancy, and infant mortality. Half of the counties in the state also lack a physician for obstetrics and gynecology. “These factors dictate why our state has major financial and educational challenges,” Guice said. “Rural health is rural wealth.” Within five years, however, Wahnee Sherman, executive director of the Rural Physicians Scholarship Program, anticipates there will be 50 new physicians practicing in rural Mississippi. “This program will be providing a solid footprint for progress in rural health care,” she said. From November until mid-February each year, Sherman’s
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schedule will include visits to college and university campuses in Mississippi. She will encourage sophomore pre-med majors to apply to the program. “We are looking for top-notch students who have the potential to be competitive medical school applicants,” she said. Two Millsaps students are in the undergraduate program: Sophomores Hunter McLendon from Hernando and Chelsie Wright from Pearl. During their junior and senior years, program participants are involved in enrichment activities that explore five primary care specialties—family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, medicine and pediatrics, and general internal medicine. Students are also required to do 40 hours of rural physician shadowing while involved in the undergraduate portion of the program. In simulation labs at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, students also learn how to deliver a baby, suture wounds, and set up an intravenous infusion. “They are getting experiences that college students don’t normally get,” Sherman said. “Plus, if they successfully complete the scholarship program enrichment activities, keep their grades up, and score reasonably well on the MCAT, they earn direct admission consideration to the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.” Based on funding, scholarships also may be available for enrollment in the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg. Direct admission consideration, however, is an option only at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. After participants have graduated from college and been accepted into one of these two medical schools, a five-week summer program gives them a head start on a successful transition to medical school. “Participants are taught and tested just like medical students and have gross anatomy and bio-chemistry experiences that undergraduates don’t receive,” Sherman said. “They get to improve their dissection skills and create their study groups. All of this builds confidence and camaraderie, which is important because medical school can be very intimidating.” The enrichment activities continue when participants are in medical school during “Gab and Grub” sessions. The meetings are usually held after a class or a lab to give program participants the opportunity to share their experiences and support one another, Sherman explained. Sherman noted that the average cost of medical school is $150,000-$225,000 here in Mississippi. Many graduates also have undergraduate loans to re-pay. “The Rural Physicians Scholarship Program literally can change a young person’s financial future,” she said. “Many of our program participants are the first generation in their families to go to college or medical school. This program is