During his first clinical rotation, physician associate student Jack Ellzey headed west to Leoti, Kansas. There he got a truly rural Kansas experience.
“In a county of 2000, you are the one-stop shop for everything medical-related. One minute you are finishing your day in the clinic, then you are working a shift at the county fair food shack that evening, before helping EMS during the rodeo. The emergency department consists of one provider, one room, and two beds- yet handles everything from lacerations to multi-system traumas. This rotation confirmed to me why I chose medicine: the privilege of learning through real responsibility, communicating with patients on my own in a meaningful way, and the teamwork aspect that makes everything work. I will be forever grateful to Leoti for the knowledge and experiences they instilled in me, demonstrating that a location on a map does not diminish the level of care that patients deserve.”
