People in rural regions often have difficulties getting adequate health care. Sometimes, basic needs cannot be met because doctors and hospitals are not readily available. When there are specific needs, people may have to drive an hour or more in order to find facilities to treat them. Small communities are meeting residents' health needs by encouraging doctors to relocate to their areas. When medical professionals are willing to make sacrifices, residents gain a number of benefits.
Doctor's Desire
Individuals who become rural doctors are not working in these areas for the money; therefore, residents know that doctors want to be there to help them.
Personal Attention
Medical professionals can devote a lot of time to each patient. They get to know their names, personal lives and specific health concerns. This is especially important in communities that are wary of outsiders.
Shorter Wait Time
In larger clinics, patients can sit in waiting rooms for 30 minutes or more before seeing a doctor. However, because rural healthcare facilities often have smaller patient rosters, they can see patients as soon as they arrive at the office, unless some kind of emergency arises.
House Calls
Residents in the small area are often privileged with house calls. A doctor may visit patients who cannot leave their homes or visit patients to check their progress after an initial visit. This is important because some rural areas don't have 911 services.
Poorer Residents
In rural areas, individuals are often poorer and don't have adequate medical insurance. However, doctors in rural areas are more willing to set up payment plans with patients because they want residents to come to them when health concerns arise.
Benefits to Doctor
Doctors who work in these area benefit because they have to be able to treat ailments that they may not have studied in medical school. Thus, they learn work in difficult circumstances and enrich their knowledge because they often have to look up information when faced with unfamiliar conditions.
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