Put On The Spot
11/25/2007
Students train under health care professionals
By Dariush Shafa
Messenger-Inquirer
Doctors and medical professionals are getting both help and refresher education thanks to a long-standing program that puts college students in communities around Kentucky for training in health care.
The Area Health Education Center program, which got its start in the 1980s out of the old Area Health Education System, places students nearing the end of their time at the University of Kentucky or University of Louisville with community-based professionals and doctors.
A primary goal is to bring students into local communities in the hopes that they will settle down there, helping alleviate the severe shortage of doctors in Kentucky, which is only getting worse.
"We currently have a shortage of physicians now, but when you look at demographics of the physicians, it's even worse because many of them are getting up there in years, approaching retirement, and we don't have enough new physicians in the pipeline to take their place," said Jim Ballard, director of the AHEC program at UK. "We're investing in the future because the future is grim unless we do something."
The program is in 47 states and costs about $2.5 million in Kentucky, the majority of which comes from state funding.
"We have a tremendous shortage of health professionals in rural and underserved areas," Ballard said. "We want to send students to those areas and show them that it is a nice area to work in."
Students also get to learn their job firsthand with a professional at their side. Doctors benefit because they get to pick up the latest knowledge and methods, along with a little extra help around the office.
"Getting them into this area brings their expertise and improves the whole economy of the area. We're bringing new blood into the community, fresh ideas from the college," said Jeff Danhauer, a local pharmacist who's had one student this fall and will have another in the spring. "We take the students in the first place to help push us to learn and not get stagnant. It pushes you to stay on top of your game so it's a win-win situation."
Having students with fresh ideas is also good for patients.
"It benefits our patients too because when we have some tough questions come in, we can confer with the students and get the most current information straight from the college," Danhauer said. "For the truly tough questions, we have that expertise right on hand there."
For Danhauer's brother, pediatrician Dr. David Danhauer, it also boosts the enjoyment of the job.
"I think it's challenging," said David Danhauer. "I love teaching."
David Danhauer said with pediatrics, teaching a student comes easily because so often pediatricians are teaching parents -- and with students, the teaching goes both ways.
"They teach me as well. It's a nice sharing of information. We're all three (students, doctors and parents) learning at the same time," David Danhauer said.
David Danhauer's student is Jessica Larson, a physician-assistant student at UK. She's already done two other AHEC rotations -- family medicine and surgery -- in other parts of the state and said she does her best to immerse herself in the community.
"You just sort of pretend like you live here," she said. "If you don't invest (yourself in the community), you're not a good health care provider."
David Danhauer said, from his standpoint, the type of education the students are getting is critical.
"The hands-on, one-on-one direct patient care real-life situation -- I think that's the epitome of what they need to learn," David Danhauer said. "They learn things that the books never show you."
Larson said getting to work alongside a doctor is something that she wouldn't be able to do at a major university or health care center.
David Danhauer is quick to put her on the spot during a patient examination, testing her skills under pressure.
"I love it. That's where I learn the most," she said of the on-the-spot quizzing. "Life is not multiple choice. My patient doesn't come in with an A, B, C or D."
Jeff Danhauer's pharmacy students get 30-day stays working in his office. For David Danhauer, the students come for eight weeks.
"About the only downside is retraining a new person every month because they're only here for 30 days," Jeff Danhauer said, adding that he expects to get five students here in 2008 and 10 in 2009.
As far as the places Larson has been, she's enjoyed them all.
"It's a very welcoming experience," she said. "I've not been to a town yet that, if offered a job there, I wouldn't come to, no matter how small."
Patients too are fine with having students in the office to learn.
"I know it's a learning process, and she was very thorough," said Jennifer King, who brought her 17-year-old son Derek to see David Danhauer. "I think it speaks well of the pediatric office if they want to bring someone here as a student."
