One of Idaho’s best kept secrets transforming healthcare in our state is the TRUST program.
As part of the WWAMI partnership between the University of Idaho and the University of Washington School of Medicine, trust It stands for Targeted Rural Underserved Track. This year, TRUST celebrated his 10th anniversary at Gemstate by training the next generation of rural primary care physicians.
As a WWAMI alumnus and former TRUST scholar in the rural community now practicing in Jerome, I am currently mentoring medical students as a physician mentor and helping them fall in love with rural medicine. Helping and providing quality care to patients who may not always be accustomed to receiving it. that. TRUST helps students develop faster as clinicians and become proficient in their procedures.
One of the highlights of my career was mentoring 2022 WWAMI Graduate, Dr. Demise Butler.
A fifth-generation Idahoan who grew up in Spring Cove Ranch near Bliss, Idaho, Butler recently became the nation’s first medical student to complete most of his Magic Valley training.
WWAMI’s decentralized medical school model allows students to complete all four years of training in their state of origin and, through TRUST, establish long-term relationships through consistent practice in rural and underserved clinics, including Jerome. can build.
Butler has now completed her residency through Magic Valley’s Full Circle Health (formerly Family Medicine Residency in Idaho) and I continue to serve as her primary care physician.
Butler’s story epitomizes the value of trust for Idaho. rank The number of active doctors per capita is the last in the country. The situation is particularly dire in our local counties. It’s common for my patients to drive three to four hours to their routine checkups, but some patients avoid seeking the preventive care they need because of the hassle of finding appointments near farms and ranches. Not a few.
TRUST attracts some of Idaho’s brightest medical students, like Butler. These students go through a selective admissions process, are matched with communities across the state, and spend four years in medical school. TRUST offers these medical students the opportunity to experience clinical care for a variety of conditions, from diabetes and depression to cancer screening. In addition to that, students can serve the whole family, from childbirth to supporting the elderly. In the TRUST community, these prospective physicians benefit from the expertise of their Physician Preceptors during their medical school careers.
In 2021, the estimated number of physicians providing direct patient care in Idaho is 3,180, a 19% increase over the estimated number of physicians in 2014. Despite the current operation of another DO school in Idaho, WWAMI still produces the largest number of primary care physicians who reside and practice in Idaho. .
Yet the shortage of doctors persists, with an estimated only 64 primary care doctors per 100,000 population. Idaho’s primary care physicians are also aging, with the average age now at 52. Compared to urban areas, most rural areas of Idaho have fewer doctors per 100,000 population, and many rural counties have a higher percentage of doctors over the age of 55.
Trust is an essential piece of the puzzle as we work to ensure that people in rural and underserved communities receive the care they need. Thank you to the Idaho Legislature for your continued support of TRUST.
