Rural Health Worker Program

Rural Health Worker – a program designed to help students learn and fulfill the duties of a rural health worker.  A rural health worker is a community member trained to meet both the basic medical needs as well as environmental health for people living in rural areas in low and middle-income countries where access to medical care is limited or none. Clinical duties here include diagnosis and treatment of minor common medical problems, minor surgery, child care including vaccination schedule for children, providing routine gynecology care, chronic care for conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and finally managing emergencies until patients are transferred to the nearest medical facility.

The curriculum here is tailored according to the student’s prior education and background. It may include courses from each of the subject areas below. The curriculum here will not be as detailed as for medical students but will be adequate enough to allow a thorough understanding of various medical problems. Once students complete the pre-medicine and basic science courses, they can start rural medicine studies. The curriculum here also includes environmental medicine, woman, and child healthcare. Topics in emergency medicine are also covered as these practitioners will have to care for patients with medical emergencies until they are transferred to a nearby hospital.

If you are interested in this program and would like to learn more click here for Admissions.

Universal Precautions

Medical Terminology

Pharmacology

Symptoms Review II

Vital Signs

Vital signs are basic evaluations that can be taken of a patient in every scenario and can be used to determine what methods should be used to improve their health or even save their life. This section covers how to take and read a blood pressure measurement, how to take a pulse, and how to take other vital signs such as if the patient is conscious, breathing, etc.

History and Physical Examination

History and Physical Examination are very important aspects of the physician-patient conversation that every student must learn before entering a clinical environment. By taking history and gathering data through the physical examination, a physician is able to better understand and diagnose a patient’s maladies and give them the best treatment available. This section covers how to implement effective communication skills, how to perform patient-centered interviews, how to identify chief complaints, how to take a full history of previous illnesses, and how to perform a physical examination.

Patient Care

A Practical Guide to Clinical Medicine

Emergency Care Training

Emergency care training includes all basic methods used on-site when an emergency arises and can be used to save many lives if implemented properly. This section covers a broad overview of the body’s anatomy and physiology, resuscitation guidelines, how to perform CPR in various scenarios, and how to prevent and stop choking in various scenarios as well.

Phlebotomy

Venipuncture and Starting IV lines

Venipuncture and IV lines describe how to implement intravenous cannulation, providing fluids, nutrients, drugs, or other substances to a patient in order to treat them or save their life. This section covers information regarding veins and how to find them, how to perform venipuncture using the butterfly method, how to perform IV cannulation on various parts of the body, and how to perform all methods within infants and children.

Clinical Evaluation Skills

Rural Medicine

Rural Medicine Curriculum include common medical and surgical emergencies that a clinician can encounter in a rural setting and training is geared toward providing urgent medical treatment until patients are transferred to the nearest hospital.

Medical Procedures

This is a list of common medical procedures that students must learn and be able to perform. The following list includes all of the medical procedure you may need to learn. You will not necessarily need to learn all of the procedures included on the list, depending on your field of practice; to determine which procedures you will be taught and evaluated on, please speak with your mentor.

Environmental Health

This program is designed to train rural health worker to be able to bring clean water and proper sanitation to the areas they serve. Preventive care is a significant part of overall care in rural areas and good environmental health will go a long way in preventing many infectious diseases.

Women and Child Healthcare 

This is a program designed to address the healthcare needs of women and children in rural areas that are too often ignored.  It includes training to provide routine gynecologic care, provide well-child care visits, and make sure timely vaccination are administered.

Vaccination