This episode features Dr. Cindy Smith of CentraCare. Here, she discusses her background and role as a rural dermatologist, challenges associated with rural health, the importance of protecting your skin with either sunscreen or sun protective clothing, and much more.
Summary
Dr. Cindy Smith: Advocating for Rural Dermatology and Rural Health Care
Meet Dr. Cindy Smith, a rural dermatologist with over 32 years of experience advocating for rural healthcare. She recently spoke about her background, role, and challenges associated with rural health during an episode of a healthcare podcast.
Challenges Associated with Rural Health
In rural areas, the shortage of healthcare professionals is a significant challenge that has been worsened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To address this issue, healthcare teams may be employed to provide much-needed care to rural areas. Telehealth has also proven to be effective.
The Importance of Protecting your Skin
In rural dermatology, Dr. Smith sees patients of all ages, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers. She advises her patients to protect their skin by wearing either sunscreen or sun protective clothing. Long sleeve clothing can also be worn for sun protection, which is important for reducing aging changes to the skin.
Building a Regional Medical Campus
Dr. Smith recently joined CentraCare, the largest rural healthcare system in Minnesota, where they are working with the University of Minnesota to build a regional medical campus. This will benefit rural areas by providing mentorship and shadowing opportunities to future healthcare professionals.
Creating Residency Spots
The lack of residency spots poses a challenge to the development of the healthcare profession. To address this issue, several residency programs are being developed in family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and ob-gyn.
Dr. Smith is excited to have been invited to join CentraCare and hopes to share her experiences at the new medical school in Minnesota, in the hope of inspiring others to make similar changes across the country. As she says, "We need to reduce administrative burdens and find ways to keep physicians in their careers as they age."
Note: This is an AI generated transcript, not edited by a staff writer and is solely intended for educational purposes. If you have any questions/concerns, reach out to podcasts@beckershealthcare.com
This episode aired on 04/08/2023 and can be listened here.
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