Meet Rural MD Students

Spencer, Class of 2023

Hometown: Hillsboro, Wisconsin

Medical interests: General surgery and emergency medicine are the specialties I’m most interested in. I’m intrigued by small businesses and rural economies and how they factor into health. I’m also passionate about teaching and hope I can work that into my career as well.

Personal hobbies: I enjoy a lot of outdoor recreation activities. My favorites include snowboarding, backpacking, mountain biking and climbing.

Why I chose WARM: WARM was exactly what I was looking for when applying to medical school. My goal is to serve a rural community in Wisconsin, but I aim to do more than just see patients. When looking into medical schools, I wanted to find a program that would give me hands-on experience learning in rural hospitals and clinics, allow me the opportunity to work with rural communities, and teach me how to address health issues from a public health standpoint. WARM met all these requests and more. Not to mention it was also close to home being an in-state school for me.

What I love about WARM: The first benefit to WARM is the location of the clinic sites. Rotating at smaller clinics and hospitals allows the opportunity for more hands-on learning. There are only a handful of students at each clinic site which means more one-on-one learning with providers and residents. Knowing I want to work in a rural community, getting this experience is incredibly valuable. We also have the opportunity to work on rural health community projects. This combined with the fact that our school of medicine is also a school of public health, ensures we receive a solid foundational skillset to address issues much bigger than the clinic visit. Despite all of these incredible aspects to the program, the thing I love most about WARM is the community we have. I’ve gained so many great friends from the program and always feel supported by our administration.

Madeline, Class of 2024

Hometown: Salem, Wisconsin

Undergraduate: Biomedical Sciences and Spanish

Medical interests: My primary interest at this time is Family Medicine — I like its versatility and the idea of serving the whole spectrum of age groups, especially in the rural setting where that versatility is often needed. I’m also interested in American Indian/Alaska Native health care and learning more about combating rural health inequities in Wisconsin.

Personal hobbies: Photography, fitness, family time and anything outdoor rec — sand volleyball, backpacking, camping, lake days, snowmobiling and skiing

Why I chose WARM: After growing up in a small town, I’ve known that I want to live and work in a similar setting someday. I remember learning about WARM during my freshman year of college and thinking that WARM would be a perfect fit for my goals. It’s safe to say that I still feel the same way! WARM is the full package for me — it is tailored not only to my medical interests but to the future lifestyle that I want to live out. The clinical rotations offered through WARM caught my attention because all rotations are completed in small towns across Wisconsin and offer a more hands-on, immersive experience and I knew that this would best prepare me for a future practice in rural Wisconsin. I love what comes with a small-town — familiarity and trust, close relationships, a sense of community — and WARM offers these things both inside and outside the classroom and clinic.

What I love about WARM: I love the size of the WARM cohort — 26 students — because it has become a close group of friends and colleagues who all have a lot in common, especially compared to the greater MD class. I enjoy the monthly “noon talks” that our WARM faculty organizes for us, for we have the opportunity to learn from WARM graduates who are already practicing in rural areas. Most of all, I love WARM’s mission to serve the many underserved areas of rural Wisconsin, and I’m humbled to be a part of such an important cause.

Cole, Class of 2023

Hometown: Darlington, Wisconsin

Undergraduate: Biology

Medical interests: Sports Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rural Health

Personal hobbies: I really enjoy getting outside and exercising. I am also passionate about officiating basketball and football.

Why I chose WARM: I chose WARM because I knew that I wanted to eventually practice in a smaller community. I saw the program as a great opportunity to get an abundance of hands-on experience right away and work with physicians who know the intricacies of working with rural populations.

Benefits of WARM: My favorite part of WARM has been the relationships I have developed with other members of our cohort. Many of us come from small communities and share common experiences that have allowed us to bond and create lasting friendships. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to be heavily involved in patient care. At our outlying locations, medical students are first in line to get to practice clinical skills, and the physicians that we work with often seek us out if learning opportunities arise. Finally, WARM allows us to be actively involved in the community through different projects. This allows us to know the people we serve and prioritize projects that are important to community members.