COLUMBUS, Ohio — It's a big milestone for Rachael Black.

She's one of the more than 200 first year medical students at Ohio State earning her white coat. 

What You Need To Know

  • More than 200 medical students earn their white coats during Ohio State's 78th Annual White Coat Ceremony

  • Fifteen of the students earning white coats are in the Community Medicine Medical Degree Track

  • Students in the Community Medicine Medical Degree Track will train to care for patients in rural and smaller communities, addressing a national physician shortage

But being from a small town, Black often thinks of the challenges she faced when she was little. 

"So, I grew up in a very rural community,” Black said. “I just kind of started seeing how much lack of access to medical care can affect how a community operates, how it runs, the health of the community members. I know just as a kid I remember driving 45 minutes to see my pediatrician." 

And she's not alone. 

Data from the Cicero Institute show 57 of Ohio’s 88 counties are health professional shortage areas, impacting rural and Appalachian residents the most. 

Dean of Ohio State's College of Medicine, Carol Bradford, explains why that is.

"We really aren't educating enough physicians in our country in general,” Bradford said. “There are just not enough physicians being trained. And we do not have enough physicians trained and prepared to practice in rural and small underserved communities."

That's why Ohio State's 78th Annual White Coat Ceremony is crucial this year. 

Of the hundreds of students receiving white coats, only 15 are in the community medicine medical degree track, including Black. She'll be one of the few caring for patients in rural communities, addressing the physician shortage head on. 

"I love rural communities,” Black said, “and just having the opportunity to serve them and make that community better is something that's very important to me."

Black has big dreams for the future, but she's excited about her next big venture. 

Black still has two years of medical school to go before heading into the rural communities to serve others.

Related Stories