The program allows students and residents to serve in rural settings, both filling a provider shortage and spurring interest in rural health care among budding professionals. Their Medquest Health Careers Choices camp has provided health career exploration opportunities to more than 120 students in grades nine through 12. Students learn about a variety of careers from presenters living in the community. These professions include medicine, dentistry, EMT, pharmacy, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, veterinary medicine and naturopathy. During the weeklong camp participants do at least two job shadows.
Surveys show that more than half of past participants have actively pursued health careers.
The Northwest Marrow Transplant Program provides comprehensive blood and marrow transplant options, access to clinical research trials and highly specialized staff. OHSU is the only site in Oregon to provide pediatric, and adult-related and unrelated allogenic bone marrow transplants. Annually more than half the calls triaged by the consult service are from rural providers. Each year the team transports approximately 600 acutely ill babies and children to Doernbecher from around the state. When needed, the team trains pediatric and neonatal critical care teams at outlying hospitals so they may all work together to save the lives of young Oregonians wherever they reside.