NHSC SEARCH Program: Student/residents Experiences And Rotations in Community Health

The SEARCH program, funded through a grant from the National Health Service Corps, provides health professions students and residents with opportunities to work on interdisciplinary health care teams. It offers them a unique primary care training experience working with people in underserved rural and urban areas.

The SEARCH Program in Kansas
To qualify for the SEARCH program, you must have started your training in one of the following disciplines: family nurse practitioner, physician assistant, marriage and family therapy, masters-level social work, clinical psychology, dentist, dental hygienist, medical, and also primary care residents. Rotations are typically one month and may be completed during vacation time or as a required or elective rotation during the school year.

National Health Service Corps Scholars are give priority as well as students training in Kansas or Kansas residents attending school out of state. All students are welcome to apply though. Applicants are selected in part by the degree of interest in primary care and their desire to work in medically underserved areas.

Program Description
The SEARCH Program provides health professional students with community-oriented, primary care placements in medically underserved areas of Kansas and specifically in Community Health Centers when possible. The program encourages development of the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to work effectively and respectfully across cultures by providing experience and training in:

• Interdisciplinary settings that integrate principals of cultural competency in their system of care
• Working with persons in poverty
• Working with persons from diverse backgrounds, including persons who live in very rural areas of the state

Training Sites
SEARCH training sites are located in Health Professional Shortage Areas in the state in both rural and urban settings. The emphasis is on placing students in KAMU member clinics and then in sites where National Health Service Corps Scholars or Loan repayment recipients are employed. These sites see all patients regardless of ability to pay and have a sliding fee scale. Other community-based primary care practices can qualify if they are in a designated shortage area and see all patients regardless of ability to pay.

 Applying for a SEARCH Rotation

• Call or email to request an application and more information on the program.
• Applications should be submitted two months prior to your availability for placement.
• If this rotation is a requirement or elective of your program it must be in a site approved by your program. Coordination of placements will be done by KAMU and your program.
• All participants must have malpractice insurance.
• If selected, you will be asked to complete an evaluation and participate in a one year and five year follow-up to track career choices after graduation.
• You will receive a stipend to assist in travel, food and lodging costs. Information regarding disbursement of the stipend will be provided after acceptance.

Benefits of Participating in the SEARCH Program
For students and residents:

• Training in culturally diverse community-based systems of care
• Working with patients and communities to help them reach beneficial health decisions
• Learning about culturally competent, community-responsive health care
• Gaining skills in delivering primary health care services by working with mentors

For communities:

• Gaining access to academic resources
• Assistance to develop and perform health promotion and disease prevention activities
• Recruitment of future health care clinicians
• Preceptorship opportunities for clinical staff

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