Underserved Electives
Utah Navajo Health System
Utah Navajo Health System in Blanding, Utah provides comprehensive care to the northern portion of the Navajo Nation and southeastern Utah - serving predominantly Indigenous American patients. You will follow patients in all aspects of care - rounding on the wards in the early morning, seeing patients in clinic, and admitting from the ER in the afternoon.
Anya Kalsbeek in Canyonlands National Park. “The opportunity to rotate in Blanding was something that I had been looking forward to since I started here, and it will be one of my favorite rotations of residency. Being a part of a team practicing in a resource limited and rural setting was an interesting and stark contrast to our typical setting of working in a tertiary care center. This rotation also gave me the chance to work in the Navajo health system which was a privilege and provided focused time to learn from and about a medically underserved population. Lastly, the outdoor opportunities are unmatched with plenty of amazing natural and historical beauty in their backyard (Bears Ears National Monument and Canyonlands National Park can be accessed after work/on the weekends, not to mention other small hikes on public land outside of those parks).”
Selene Rubino hitching a ride over Blanding. “Blanding was one of the highlights of residency. UNHS uses an innovative model to combine funding from multiple sources to provide some really broad and important care to their community at little cost. They do a great job of taking care of people in that area – I was honored to be a part of that.”
Mountain West Medical Center
Mountain West Medical Center in Tooele, Utah offers a community hospital experience not-too-far from home (~40 minute drive from Salt Lake City). This 45-bed hospital serves a rural community adjacent to Salt Lake City. You will gain experience in procedures, low-acuity ICU patients, neurology, and independent practice with sub-specialist support just a phone-call away.
"This elective is a great opportunity to practice autonomously with a “small town” feel while also having support if/when questions come up. It is certainly a useful rotation for anyone wanting to be a hospitalist, particularly if interested in rural and/or non-academic hospital medicine. I felt useful in being there and I was warmly welcomed by staff and patients alike.”
– Hannah Wilkerson, PGY3
“… a good rotation to see some of the challenges (imaging availabilities, lack of in person subspeciality care, etc.) of working in a rural hospital form the perspective of an academic center often accepting patients from these facilities. Of course, those challenges to me are what makes it fun and very engaging as a physician. Overall, I think it makes residents more well-rounded physicians and better equipped to take care of rural underserved patients. This is important not only for residents interested in eventually serving rural communities (a big need!) but also as an academic center with one of the largest catchment areas frequently interacting with these communities.”
– Izzy Dodard-Friedman, former resident and current Hospitalist at both Mountain West and Huntsman Cancer Hospital
Individual Opportunities
In addition to these several structured international clinical experiences, residents may pursue their own experiences, pending approval by the program director.