June 16-18, 2023
Article by: Fidelia Gaba, RMIG Student Leader for 2023-24
This weekend 7 Pittmed students left town and participated in a Rural Medicine Interest Group (RMIG) service trip to Williamsport/Wellsboro. We offered free health screenings (BP, blood glucose, visual acuity, BMI) to the Wellsboro population at their annual Laurel Festival. At the fair we even got to engage with some children and teach them how to take a blood pressure!
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Not only did we get to serve, but we had many opportunities to learn about the practice of rural medicine and experience both Williamsport and Wellsboro. We give a special thanks to Dr. Boll who gave us two days out of his busy schedule to host a talk on rural medicine and accompany us in various activities ranging from the health fair to exploring the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
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We learned so much from him that was applicable to many fields of medicine. Of particular impact was his emphasis on seeking joy in our future practice, not just avoiding burnout. We also got a wonderful tour of the UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine residency program facility followed by a Q&A led by Dr. Verzella. It was exciting to learn more about the breadth of family medicine and the amazing ways the department prepares its residents to practice in rural and urban as well as inpatient and outpatient settings. Overall, this trip was not only rewarding for the community members we were able to work with, but also for the wealth of knowledge we gained about rural medicine and how rural communities work together and collaborate to both grow economically and remove barriers in access to healthcare.
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Also… the food was amazing and we non-officially officially recommend that everyone go to Wellsboro during next year’s Laurel Fest!
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