Rural Reflections of Appalachia: A Qualitative Study of Health Professional Students' Experiences from a Rural Immersion Experience in West Virginia.

Abstract

Introduction: Conventional academic rotations lack in-depth exposure to rural community members, systems, and resources surrounding specific rural-focused health issues.

Purpose: This study aims to explore health professional students' experiences within a community-based multidisciplinary rural immersion through their personal reflections.

Methods: Written reflective entries were extracted from the online classroom system from 2019-2021. Data analysis was guided by thematic analysis. An iterative process of qualitatively coding the interviews was conducted. Themes were reviewed and agreed upon by consensus and assessed for validity by two senior researchers.

Results: Sixty-two reflective essays were included from 11 unique professional programs. Resulting themes included (1) immersion was a transformative experience, (2) immersion experiences resulted in planned future practice changes, (3) immersion provided increased familiarity with stigmatizing diagnoses and contact with stigmatized groups, and (4) the experience provided knowledge of resources for future practice.

Implications: Rural immersions provide a rich understanding of cultural identities, health systems, and health issues in a specific rural environment. Through the immersive experience, students identified future practice considerations, placed context to stigma and its effect on health, and concretely demonstrated interprofessional resources in rural clinical practice.