A Career in Community Medicine

1. “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) 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

2. A Career in Community Medicine

3. 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

4. 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! Community medicine and health professions

5. 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 Directors Also, 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. Where 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

9. How 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

10. 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

11. 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 biology zoology, microbiology, physiology, anatomy… And it won’t hurt to learn a foreign language

12. 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!!!!!

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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 Board http://www.collegeboard.com

16. Finally, Start securing your future TODAY!

17. To work here in the future….

18. 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 Populations OU Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Center OU School of Community Medicine 4502 E. 41st St; Room 3G-01 Tedra-williams@ouhsc.edu 918-619-4460