Letter to the Editor: From Rural Student to Rural Provider: A Perspective Piece on Curbing the Rural Health Professional Shortage in West Texas

Abstract

Most of West Texas is considered to be a health professional shortage area (HPSA), including the Permian Basin and Big Bend regions, and this shortage is expected to worsen in the years to come. In an effort to address the future rural healthcare workforce in these West Texas rural communities and through a collaboration of multiple institutions in the Permian Basin and Big Bend regions, a rural-focused healthcare career camp was established for high school students of rural communities in these regions. In addition to recruiting rural high school students from these West Texas towns to participate as campers, college and graduate students of healthcare professions were also invited to participate as camp counselors, providing mentorship and exposure to the high schoolers of various healthcare career pathways. I (author CG), a current fourth year medical student, served at the camp as a camp counselor. In this perspective piece, I discuss the benefit I experienced participating in this camp and how I believe it has the potential to curb the health professional shortage in these regions in the future.