{"id":52137,"date":"2015-03-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-18T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2015\/03\/18\/st-paul-neb-physician-assistant-lauds-unmc-for-its-rural-efforts\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T14:55:46","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T19:55:46","slug":"st-paul-neb-physician-assistant-lauds-unmc-for-its-rural-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2015\/03\/18\/st-paul-neb-physician-assistant-lauds-unmc-for-its-rural-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Paul, Neb., physician assistant lauds UNMC for its rural efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nThis article is the first in a series spotlighting UNMC's economic impact throughout the state of Nebraska.<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

\nRoger Wells knows all too well the impact UNMC has on the state. Both his family and his community have benefited from UNMC’s outreach programs in rural Nebraska.<\/p>\n

\nA physician assistant in St. Paul, Neb., Wells, 60, has been working in St. Paul since he graduated from UNMC’s PA program in 1987.<\/p>\n

\n“It’s estimated that about 45 percent of health care providers in rural Nebraska are planning to retire in the next 10 years,” Wells said. “That’s a real problem, because even if you bring in additional nurse practitioners and physician assistants, <\/strong>you’ll never reach the established levels required to optimally meet the needs of rural Nebraska.”<\/p>\n

\nTwo UNMC programs – the Rural Health Opportunities Program and the Health Science Education Complex at the University of Nebraska at Kearney – are geared toward addressing this problem.<\/p>\n

\nWells applauds UNMC for initiating these programs. Two of his children went through RHOP and are now working in Omaha – one as a PA in Nebraska Medicine’s inpatient pain management program, the other as an internal medicine fellow at UNMC. A third child is working at Creighton University as a dietitian in the ICU and is a student in UNMC’s Creighton’s master’s program in dietetics.<\/p>\n

\nOver the years, Wells estimates that he has directed between 15-20 rural Nebraska students into the RHOP program.<\/p>\n

\nWith the opening of the Health Science Education Complex at UNK this fall, Wells said it will create additional opportunities for rural students to pursue health careers in nursing and the allied health professions.<\/p>\n

\n“UNMC’s collaboration with UNK on the new health complex will open doors for rural students and have an impact that will be felt for generations to come,” he said.<\/p>\n

\nIt’s estimated that UNMC graduates working throughout Nebraska generate an economic impact of $3.9 billion. The impact by profession breaks down like this:<\/p>\n