a career in community medicine

““The goal of the OU School of Community Medicine is to leverage our leadership, The goal of the OU School of Community Medicine is to leverage our leadership, education, research and clinical service resources to improve the health of individual education, research and clinical service resources to improve the health of individual

patients and entire communities”patients and entire communities”

--Gerry Clancy, M.D., President and Dean, OU School of Community Medicine (OU SoCM)

Tedra Williams, OU Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Center

Presents: “In pursuit of a career in community medicine”

Exploring health career choices with students

in middle and high school

A Career in Community Medicine

Objectives:

• Inform you of the many community medicine and health care careers

• Encourage you to explore your options

• Provide links to various resources where you can obtain community medicine experiences: shadowing, internships, camps and organizations: The University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine (SoCM), (Area Health Education Centers-AHEC), community health centers…

• Educate you about funding your dream of a career in community medicine

…and much more

Community medicine and health professions

• Primary Care Physicians– Family Medicine, Internal

Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecologists, Pediatrics

• Physician Assistants• Medical researchers• Dentists• Dental Hygienists• Dental Assistants• Medical Laboratory

Technicians

• Nurses– Registered Nurses (RN) and– Licensed Practical Nurses

(LPN)

• Nurse Practitioners• Certified Nurse Midwives• Social Workers • Pharmacists• Pharmacy Technicians• Radiological science

professions• -X-Ray technicians…and that’s just a few!

Other professions needed in

community medicine and health care

Future CEO’s (Chief Executive Officers), COO’s (Chief Operations Officers), CFO’s (Chief

Financial Officers), Departmental DirectorsAlso,

Business and Accounting professions: Medical administration, customer service, medical

coding; Communications: Public Relations (PR) and Marketing; as well as Community Health

and Public Health Practitioners (Health Educators and Epidemiologists)

Why choose a career as a community medicine health professional?

• Provide health care to people where they need it—in the community

• Improve access to health care where people live—in the community

• Help improve the standard of care in medically underserved and underrepresented areas—in the community

Plus,

YOU CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE

What’s in it for you???

A lot, like…• Earning a good living at some thing

YOU like to do in your own COMMUNITY

• Making a difference in your life and the lives of others

• Having a job and career that is rewarding, stable and secure

• Contributing to your community by improving health outcomes

WhereWhere do you explore your options in community medicine?

• Here, at the University of Oklahoma, School of Community Medicine (OU SoCM)

• Community Physicians (Doctor’s offices)

• Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) and Tulsa Technology Center

• Community Health Centers

• Hospitals

HowHow do you explore your community medicine options?

• Shadowing (follow and watch a community medicine professional at work, usually 1 to 2 days)

• Volunteering • Internships (spend more time at a community

medicine or health care organization, usually 2 weeks to 3 months)

• Specialized programs: AHEC and Tulsa Technology Centers

• Entry level jobs

So, what do you need to do now?

• Work HARD and SMART to earn your high school diploma

• Work at keeping a good Grade Point Average GPA)

• Take courses that challenge you NOW– Algebra, Calculus, Biology, Statistics, English

literature, reading comprehension, writing

• Get involved in volunteer or paid community medicine and health care experiences

What courses are important to your success?

English, especially grammar and writing

Reading, especially comprehension

Math, especially higher levels: algebra, geometry, calculus, and statistics

Science-any of the “-ologies”, like biologyzoology, microbiology, physiology, anatomy…

And it won’t hurt to learn a foreign language

Do you have what it takes?If you answer YES to any of the

following statements:• I have a good attitude• I want to keep people healthy• I want to make a difference• I am not afraid of a lot of hard

work or even rejection• I want to be apart of changing

things for the better• I am dedicated and committed

to making a difference in my community!!!!

Then…YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!!!!!

How do you fund your community medicine and health professions training?

• Scholarships: local and national, Like Oklahoma’s Promise: OHLAP, and Tulsa Achieves; there are some scholarships for areas in health care where there is a under representation in gender (men into nursing)

• State and federal grants (PELL, OTAG, SEOG)

• Financial aid programs for underrepresented individuals in health care: Asian-Americans, Latina/o-Americans, African Americans,

• Internships bring in $$$$$(experience and networking): many organizations, even the state and federal government offer loan repayment for working in certain geographical areas that have shortages of health professionals

…and this is just the short list

Questions

• Shadowing, interning at OU:– Karen Mulkey: karen-mulkey@ouhsc.edu

• Camps and specialized programs: AHEC, contact Northeast Area Health Education Center (Tulsa Community College-Northeast Campus) 918-595-8404 – Ebony Skillens: eskillens@tulsacc.edu or – Pat Turner pturner@tulsacc.edu

Funding information

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE)

www.okhighered.org/student-center/jrhigh-highscl

Free Application for Students Financial Aid (FASFA)

www.fasfa.ed.gov

College Boardhttp://www.collegeboard.com

Finally,

Start securing

your future

TODAY!

To work here in the future….

The University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine (OU SoCM)

“The goal of the OU School of Community Medicine is to leverage our leadership, education, research and clinical service resources to improve the health of individual patients and entire communities”

--Gerry Clancy, M.D., President and Dean, OU School of Community Medicine (OU SoCM)

For more information on exploring health career choices with students in middle and high school

Please contact:

Tedra Williams, RN, BS Manager

Clinical Program Development & Student Recruiter for Underrepresented PopulationsOU Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Center

OU School of Community Medicine4502 E. 41st St; Room 3G-01Tedra-williams@ouhsc.edu

918-619-4460