51С�Ƴ�

Staff from UNE’s Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) recently presented at the 51С�Ƴ� Rural Health Association Annual Meeting in Killington, Vermont.

Toho Soma, M.P.H., M.S., senior research associate in CEPH, and Melanie Caldwell, M.S., project manager in CEPH, shared their experience creating and implementing a Primary Care Experiential Learning Toolkit for College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM), physician assistant (PA), and School of Pharmacy students, in partnership with two Maine-based federally qualified health centers serving rural Maine.

In their presentation, “Implementing an Experiential Learning Toolkit in Primary Care Settings,” Soma and Caldwell shared the content and purpose of the toolkit and explained how other sites may adapt the toolkit to benefit their needs around primary care.

The toolkit was created to enhance clinical rotations in rural primary care and to encourage students to pursue careers in rural health.

Maine and other 51С�Ƴ� states are in need of rural health care providers. Students expressed a greater desire to work in rural areas following their experience with the toolkit and project activities.

The project was made possible by a six-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) grant.