ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Medical students across the country anxiously discovered the next steps in their careers Friday on what has become widely known as Match Day, when students learn the results of which programs they’ve been matched with to start their residency.
This was the first-ever match day for medical students at the UMKC School of Medicine’s St. Joseph campus. UMKC broke ground on the St. Joseph campus in 2023.
The National Rural Health Association reports more than 19% of the nation's population lives in rural areas. In urban areas, there are more than 31 doctors per 10,000 people. But in rural areas, that number drops to 13 doctors for every 10,000 people.
“I wanted to be able to well-round myself for a rural community, where I want to serve after residency, so I can do jack-of-all-trades family medicine,” UMKC School of Medicine Student Jess Holla said.
Serving rural communities in need is why Lee’s Summit native Jess Halla chose to enroll at the St. Joseph campus. Jess matched her top choice: family medicine at KU's Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
“One of the key drivers for having medical professionals commit to practicing rural medicine was having a medical school in a rural area with rural rotations,” Dean Emeritus Dr. Mary Anne Jackson said.
Dr. Jackson said the goal is for these students to keep serving rural areas, too.
Will Obert matched with orthopedic surgery in rural Pennsylvania. Obert said he has seen gaps in rural health care firsthand growing up in northeast Missouri.
“Growing up, you know, you can kind of see how under-served the people in the rural areas are,” he said. “You know, an hour-and-a-half drive to get to any large medical center.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
