Rural Health Scholar

Parkes Wolters is finishing up his junior year as a biochemistry major at McPherson College. Like allscience majors, he is planning and doing research forhis senior project. And, like some students he has a clear idea of what is next for him – medical school. What sets Wolters apart from other students his age is that his place at medical school is already assured.

Wolters is one of 16 students accepted into the Scholars in Rural Health program at the University of Kansas at the end of his sophomore year. The Scholars in Rural Health program identifies and encourages undergraduate students from rural Kansas who are interested in building a career as a physician in rural areas. The program provides assured admission to the University of Kansas School of Medicine and makes him eligible for the Kansas Medical Student Loan, which pays for books and tuition.

Acceptance in the program is based on ACT/SAT test performance, grade point average, completion of required course work and evidence of the dedication and compassion necessary to be a competent and caring physician.

Being from a small town in Kansas and having observed his uncle serve as a small town physician, Wolters knows how important doctors are to rural areas.

“Doctors, especially in rural Kansas are important to a community,” he said. “Without local doctors, small communities really struggle. I like the idea of taking care of people you know in a community. Growing up in a small town, I don’t think it will be weird to bump into patients at the grocery store.”

The need for primary care physicians in rural areas across the United States is great. In the next 15 years, the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the United States will face a shortage of nearly 50,000 primary care physicians. In Kansas, of the 105 counties, 92 are considered medically underserved and last year the state ranked 40th in the number of active physicians in relation to population.

“Rural physicians often have rural backgrounds,” Dr. K. James Kallail, director of the Scholars in Rural Health program, said. “Those individuals with rural backgrounds are more likely than those with urban backgrounds to practice in rural communities. The scholars receive an immersion in the life and practice of a rural doctor before medical school to motivate them to their chosen career pathway.”

During the junior and senior years, scholars have the opportunity to learn at the side of an assigned mentor for a total of 200 shadowing hours accumulated during the four semesters and one summer. This year, Wolters has been spending one afternoon each week with Dr. Dan Lichty, a 1976 graduate of McPherson College. Although Dr. Lichty is located in McPherson, he practiced in Quinter, Kansas for several years.

“I am very thankful for Dr. Lichty,” Wolters said. “He knows a lot about practicing in a rural area, about what it is like being far from a major hospital, and the kinds of procedures you might need to be prepared to do.”

Wolters came to McPherson College from Osborne, Kansas to play basketball. He was familiar with KCAC schools because his father attended Sterling College and when it came time for him to choose, Wolters knew he wanted to find a smaller school and thought a private college would be a good fit for him.

“I’m more academically focused than athletic,” he said. “I picked McPherson College because of the strong science faculty here and because of the quality of the natural sciences program.”

Now after completing his third year, what Wolters most appreciates is how his science classes are taught based on the flipped classroom concept, where instructional content is delivered outside of the classroom and time in class is used for what used to be considered homework.

“I really like all the one-on-one time I get with my professors,” Wolters said. “Using the class time to work through problems is how it is done at med school. I think it will be very easy to assimilate when I get there.”

Although his performance in the classroom is what qualified him for the Scholars program, it was his involvement in the Pre-Health Professionals Club on campus where he learned about it from Professor Manjula Koralegedara, associate professor of chemistry at McPherson College. Each spring, the club hosts the dean of admissions at the University of Kansas medical school to speak with the students and Professor Koralegedara was confident Wolters would be an ideal candidate for the program.

“I first met Parkes as a freshman taking organic chemistry and was very impressed with his work ethic and level of understanding,” Professor Koralegedara said. “Since then I’ve seen him lead as a student and as president of the PHP. There is no doubt that he will be successful in any profession he gets into and that he will be impacting the society in a positive way one day.”

When Wolters graduates next year, he can choose from the three KU medical school campuses in Wichita, Salina, or Kansas City. He still has time to decide, however for the moment he is considering attending school in Salina.

“I like the idea of the smaller classes and having closer contact with your professors,” he said. “They are renovating a new facility in downtown that I had a chance to tour and it is going to be really nice.”

And after medical school, Wolters knows he wants to continue living in a small town like the one where he grew up. But for now, he is focused on finishing his undergraduate work at McPherson College and continuing to prepare for his senior project. Wolters is working with Professor Dustin Wilgers to study how spiders store energy and how that might relate to humans. Wolters appreciates the opportunity for independent research that students are given at McPherson College.

“Learning how to write a scientific paper and being able to read and understand research papers because I’ve actually done it myself is something very important,” he said. “I think it will give me a leg up on others when I get to med school.”