Session 75 Dr. Kelsey Hopkins works in rural private practice in Southern Illinois. Learn more about rural family medicine, what he likes about it and what he doesn't like, the unique environment, how to connect with other physicians, and so much more! If you have any suggestions for new guests to have on the podcast, just shoot me an email at ryan@medicalschoolhq.net. [02:00] An Interest in Family Medicine He actually realized he wanted to be a family medicine physician before he got accepted to medical school. Growing up in a small town in Illinois, he is the fourth of eight kids. Everybody was born at home after the first two. So there was no one in his family that was in medicine. Naive to the healthcare field in general, he didn't know there were different specialties so he just thought that as long as you went to the doctor, they give everything. Then he found out there was a rural medicine program, the RMED program at the University of Illinois - College of Medicine in Rockford. He explored this and it's where he ultimately went. And so, family medicine turned out as what matched what he thought just a general doctor was. He didn't know you could subspecialize. This was typical in a rural setting. Kelsey describes that they would travel 20-30 minutes or more to go to the doctor. And this is true in a lot of ways. In rural areas typically, there's not as many doctors around and certainly fewer specialties. So typically as primary care, they do more than they would in an urban area because they have less colleagues to assist them with things. So the training is oftentimes different and the role is different. “In rural areas, typically, there's not as many doctors around and certainly fewer specialties.” [04:05] The Decision to Go Back to a Rural Area After Training Having been born and raised in a rural environment, Kelsey thought he was comfortable with this kind of lifestyle. He felt it was where he was most comfortable and where he would want to raise a family. So when he found the RMED program, got in, and got into the residency in Indiana, doing the rural training track, he thought all this aligned to his life goals. As he got more training to do it, all the more that he wanted to get back to a small town and stay in that environment to live. On top of this, he realized the healthcare needs so he felt it would be a very rewarding career. He considers this not only as a career choice, but also as a lifestyle. For him, he was truly accomplishing what his initial dream was. And living that out is very rewarding for him. "I don't think I would be as rewarded or fulfilled working in a city environment." Painting the picture of a rural setting, Kelsey has one partner who is an internist and pediatrician, the only practicing pediatrician, until recently a hospital had another part-time one in the local area. Then there are three other family doctors. One has just retired. Then there are several nurse practitioners. They have a local hospital down a mile from his office, along with a couple of surrounding hospitals that are 20-30 minutes away in most directions. In terms of patient population, there are 7,000 people roughly in town. They call from a patient volume from around the area. He had even one patient that morning that traveled 100 miles who traveled from Missouri to come see him. They have a local niche so that patients within 20-30 minutes are able to see a doctor in the area. [07:25] Traits that Lead to Being a Good Rural Family Medicine Doc Kelsey says that especially if you're from rural, you seem to fit in better. You get it. You understand the lifestyle better. It's not just about practicing medicine, it's about the community. The patients' attitudes towards you may be different and their healthcare needs may be different. So understanding rural life is really important. "It's not just about practicing medicine, it's about the community." The University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford actually coin