Rural pathway programs extend longstanding partnerships

UNMC’s rural pathway programs have extended their agreements with the Nebraska State College System and University of Nebraska at Kearney to continue their longstanding partnership.

The agreements reiterate the long-term commitment between UNK, Chadron State College, Peru State and Wayne State to address the state’s rural health care workforce needs, said Nicole Carritt, UNMC’s interim assistant vice chancellor for health workforce education relations and director of Rural Health Initiatives.

The partnerships that include the undergraduate Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP) and Kearney Health Opportunities Program (KHOP) have been extended five years.

“UNMC has long been committed to educating and preparing the state’s rural health workforce to ensure students are well-prepared to meet the unique healthcare needs of rural Nebraska,” Carritt said. “With health care workforce shortages facing communities across the state, the commitment of these continued partnerships has never been more important.

“Together, we are helping ensure health care access to Nebraska’s rural populations and supporting the critical role that health care plays in rural community economic success and vitality.”

The RHOP and KHOP programs recruit, educate and graduate leaders from Nebraska who are committed to returning to Nebraska’s rural areas to practice.

Over the more than 30 years of the programs’ existence and growth, more than 800 students from 11 training programs through UNMC have graduated from the programs at UNMC. Today, more than 60% of those graduates currently practice health care in Nebraska.

Given Nebraska’s significant health care workforce shortages across multiple disciplines, innovative partnerships like this are crucial to addressing shortages and improving access to health care, Carritt said.

As UNMC prepares to expand its health education offerings in Kearney and enhance opportunities related to rural health training, Carritt said the students in these programs will have unique opportunities to train closer to home and the rural communities where they plan to practice.

“It is especially timely for UNMC to continue its focus on rural health professions training, not only in Kearney but around Nebraska,” she said.