Mercer Health’s Medical Staff offered its first ever, summer internship and exploration program for college students who are planning to apply to medical school and have completed at least two years of undergraduate course work. Five students were accepted into the program for 2023, and began their first day in the program on Monday, June 5.

This year’s recipients included (pictured left to right): Ethan Wasson, from Bryan, Ohio, attending Miami University; Julia Wilker, from New Bremen, attending Xavier University; Emma Eckstein, from Coldwater, attending Notre Dame; Olivia McGee from Fort Loramie, attending Wright State University Lake Campus; and Kelsey Nichols from Rockford, attending Wright State University Lake Campus.

The students worked with a variety of Mercer Health physicians, both in the hospital and in the offices, where our providers were able to share their experiences. Over the course of this four week program, the students had the opportunity to shadow family practice, pediatrics, OB-GYN, emergency medicine, surgery, radiology, orthopedics and others. The goal of the internship program is to help students make an informed decision about applying for medical school, and to expose them to a variety of rural medicine specialties. 

Dr. Core, Chief of Staff at Mercer Health, shared the following, “There is a nationwide shortage of rural physicians, and medical students who were raised in a rural area are much more likely to go on to practice in a rural area after completion of their training. We are excited to support these students now and throughout their medical education journey.”