SEARCH Student Journals

A medical student’s advice to students rotating through medical facilities and communities: Be open to the experiences that may present themselves even if you do not think they are all that pertinent to what you are doing, with each experience you will find something out about yourself or others and they usually prove informative. Follow a few different people. Not too many but enough so that you see different styles and professionalism. Know what you are comfortable with and be ready for some uncomfortable moments. Ask questions and bring some books to refer to.

A medical student writes:  I think that the doctor here not only helped me to get extensive practice in physical exam skills but also taught me the science behind things in a clinical context.  The site coordinator here is also very good and found me so many different opportunities to see what other jobs in a medical community are like including public health nurses, WIC, x-ray, CT, clinic, physical therapy, hospice, and even ER trauma.  I think that the doctor here not only helped me to get extensive practice in physical exam skills but also taught me the science behind things in a clinical context.  The site coordinator here is also very good and found me so many different opportunities to see what other jobs in a medical community are like including public health nurses, WIC, x-ray, CT, clinic, physical therapy, hospice, and even ER trauma.

Medical Student:  I had numerous opportunities to work with other professions.  The one that immediately comes to mind is that the hospital’s paramedics assist the doctors with stress testing.  One morning while following the internist overseeing the testing for the day, I got to spend some time with the paramedics while they prepped patients for the stress testing.  Additionally it’s almost impossible not to spend time with the clinic nurses while following a doctor.  They are certainly invaluable in making sure the physician has what s/he needs, as well as in helping the patients in any way possible.

Medical Student: this has been a really good experience.  As someone not very sure of what specialty I might practice, as well as an interest in practicing outside of an urban setting, I’ve found my time here to be very worthwhile.  I think it’s great that such a program exists to give students an opportunity to utilize what they’ve learned so far, as well as provide them with more context for what they will be exposed to in the future.

Medical Student: The entire SEARCH experience was a cultural experience. Being located on a reservation allowed me to learn about the culture through patient and staff interactions. A majority of the staff was Native American and were also very open about sharing their culture.

Nurse practitioner student from out of state: The biggest cultural differences I experienced have been that between rural and city patients. I have been accustomed to city patients and I have to keep reminding myself of differences that affect patients.  Perhaps my biggest surprise has been seeing how much bigger the scope of practice of providers in rural areas is.

Nurse practitioner student:  The doctor really involved me in just about everything. I listened to hearts and lungs and examined x-rays and lab values right along with her.  The physician and I went the Cavalier school to teach some basics about the brain to second graders (at the summer school program). We prepared several projects: worksheets, door hangers, bookmarks, and coloring books. We played a synapse game a friend in undergrad developed and then we made “edible neurons” (my brainchild) from several candies. I also obtained several human brains from the anatomy lab at the medical school and the kids got to hold and touch them while hearing about the parts. The principal heard about it and had the other grades file through to see and feel the brains. All in all it was a great experience and everyone had a blast (and learned something too)!

Psychology student: I had an excellent experience with the CEO of the clinic. She explained the background and history of the clinic as well as their guiding philosophy as a healthcare facility. She was articulate and very well-informed about the state of rural healthcare in North Dakota. During my second visit, I was able to meet with nursing staff to review charts and then see 2 patients. The clinic and nursing home staff were extremely helpful in assisting me with accessing medical charts as well as meeting with patients.  This has been a comprehensive and enjoyable experience so far. I am extremely impressed with the professionalism of this facility and their willingness to embrace the services I have been offering to them thus far.

A social work student's a dvice to future SEARCH students:  One piece of advice I would give a future SEARCH student is to be completely open to whatever your site has in store for you because the opportunities are endless. Also, I would encourage students to get out in the community as much as possible. I took the initiative to look for little community projects because I wanted to get out in the community and meet people and work with children. The community projects were where I met the most people and had a great time doing it. Living in the hospital is a unique experience and once in a while getting out in the community will break up time in the hospital.

Community Projects:

• My community project was to help with Progressive Agriculture Safety Day Camp for Emmons county.  This day is a camp for about 150 kids ages 6 to 12.  Kids were divided into groups and each group would go around the school to the various stations to learn about different aspects of safety spending about 20-30 minutes at each station.  We had first aid and CPR with the paramedics and the kids got to make their own first aid kits.  We had fire safety with the volunteer fire department, farm animal safety with 4H who brought a calf, pig, and two lambs.  We had electrical safety with MDU, farm equipment safety with Emmons county public health, wild animal safety with the Emmons county veterinarian, and food safety with Emmons county extension.  We also got lunch from the ambulance crew and dairy farmers’ association.  Then at the end the kids all participated in a group relay with each group competing in a sort of basketball obstacle course.  I actually learned a lot from this.  I had no idea about anything having to do with farming so I had never thought of some of the ways people could get injured.  It’s a good thing that I participated in this camp since we did see a few people at the hospital who had had various farm injuries and knowing how they happened when the people described them was really helpful.
• Our community service project will be on sunscreen!  We will be presenting about a half hour to physicians as part of their CME and also making a handout for patients with information about sunscreen and sun exposure for participation in community safety day.
• For my Community Project I helped out at the Wellness Fair at the Upper Missouri River Valley Fair.  I helped the diabetic educator test blood sugars.  At the same booth they were also checking cholesterol.  We had the most popular booth. 
• We participated in a day camp for elementary kids where they participate in math, reading, crafts, and a themed activity that changes weekly. We helped out with the biking & bike safety activities. This experience showed me how important it is to get involved in the community that you practice in. Even in the few short weeks I have been here I recognize people in the clinic that I have seen elsewhere and seem to receive much more respect or at least recognition with warm greetings upon future encounters.

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