Rural Experiences for Health Professions Students. A 4-week summer program.
The Rural Experiences for Health Professions Students (REHPS) summer program is designed to bring health professions graduates back to rural South Dakota for rewarding careers. Students, selected in a competitive process, are enrolled in one of the following programs: Bachelor of Nursing, clinical psychology, family nurse practitioner, medical doctor, medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy, and social work. After selection, students are placed in interprofessional pairs in a community with a critical access hospital and a population under 12,000 people.
Since the summer of 2011 the REHPS program has been hosted in 30 communities across South Dakota. Those communities include Bowdle, Britton, Burke, Canton, Chamberlain, Custer, Faulkton, Deadwood, Dell Rapids, Faulkton, Flandreau, Freeman, Hot Springs, Huron, Martin, Miller, Parkston, Philip, Platte, Redfield, Scotland, Sisseton, Sturgis, Tyndall, Vermillion, Viborg, Wagner, Webster, Wessington Springs, and Winner.
Of the 200+ students who have graduated following their REHPS participation, 69% have chosen to stay in South Dakota with 31% of them choosing to work in communities with populations under 10,000.
REHPS receives funding from the Office of Rural Health/South Dakota Department of Health and is managed by the Southeast SD Area Health Education Center.