A Model Rural Health Orientation Course Using Interdisciplinary, Community Oriented, Inquiry Based Strategies

Introduction to Rural Health was developed as the introductory course for the Community Partnerships in Health Education - a new curriculum educating students using interdisciplinary, community oriented, and inquiry based strategies. Medical students, nursing students, and public health students participated in an elective curriculum designed to teach interdisciplinary groups of students to deliver primary health care in under-served communities. The curriculum began with an intensive one-week course designed to introduce students to the community, its people, their health care needs, and the process of working in interdisciplinary groups. The course was taught using a variety of community based activities. Student evaluations indicated that students strongly agreed that the course objectives were met using this nontraditional methodology. Qualitative analysis indicated that students regarded the team-building aspects of the course as the most influential. Community members indicated a high level of satisfaction with their input in the developmental process and with the extent to which community resources and interests were included.