By Paris Rain, FOX23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences is once again ranked No. 1 in the nation for placing graduates in Health Professional Shortage Areas, highlighting the school’s continued focus on addressing gaps in medical care across Oklahoma.
Health Professional Shortage Areas, also often called medical deserts, are regions where patients have limited access to doctors and health care services.
School leaders said the need in Oklahoma remains significant.
“If we look across Oklahoma, 75 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are designated shortage areas,” said Dr. Natasha Bray, the campus dean at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation. “When you look at that same data for mental health, all of Oklahoma’s counties are designated mental health shortages. What that means is about a third of Oklahoma’s population is living in a county where we don’t have an adequate supply of primary care physicians.”
To help address the gap, OSU-CHS trains students directly in rural and underserved communities rather than limiting education to the classroom.
Fourth-year medical student Kelli Swank said those real world experiences are critical for future doctors.
“I think that it’s a really unique opportunity for us as future physicians to train in these areas to get a realistic idea of what it’s going to be like to serve those communities,” Swank explained. “What can we do the most to serve them before we have to send patients to Tulsa or Oklahoma City for specialists?”
Swank said those rotations also help students better understand the broader needs of patients, especially in tribal and rural communities.
“That’s why I’ve loved being here because I get to see that there is a deeper side to somebody than just their physical health. There is a mental component. There is a spiritual component and being immersed in the Cherokee Nation culture, we get to really experience that firsthand.”
Swank, who grew up in a small Oklahoma town without a local physician, said access to care remains one of the biggest challenges for rural residents.
“Some patients may not have the ability to go to Tulsa or Oklahoma City to get that care. They may have to travel hours and even follow-up appointments can be difficult.”
Dr. Bray said building relationships between students and the communities they serve is key to long term solutions.
“Those relationships with the communities is how we ensure that patients in our state have access to the care that they deserve, high-quality care, and physicians who are willing to listen to them and partner with them to achieve health.”
According to OSU leaders, the goal is not just to train physicians, but to encourage them to stay and practice in the communities that need them most.
