Interview: Dr. Yolanda Chen, pediatritian with St. John's Mercy Healthcare, on her experience with PRIMO.
PRIMO Pros: How has your participation in PRIMO influenced your career path?
Dr. Chen: Becoming involved with PRIMO is what brought me to the town of Washington, Missouri, where I am working currently. Being a pediatrician at the McAuley Clinic is my first full time job out of residency. When I signed up with PRIMO, I knew that I wanted to do primary care in a rural area, helping take care of a population of patients who are underserved and in much need of health care. After finishing residency in California, I was able to find a perfect job opportunity back home in Missouri, where I could do exactly what I have always wanted to do since medical school. PRIMO is what helped me launch my career as a pediatrician in a rural community.
PP: What would you say to someone who is looking for help paying for school, who comes across PRIMO as an option?
Dr. Chen: It is the perfect opportunity if you know that working in an underserved area is what you want to do with your career. They financially support you through years of medical school and even residency, if desired. And there really isn't much restriction with this program - you have to practice in an area that meets their qualifications, but that's all. There are so many options and many different opportunities for jobs in Missouri. It's amazing how much need is out there.
PP: What kind of feedback do you get from rural citizens who count on community health centers for their care?
Dr. Chen: In the clinic I practice in, we take care of patients from many different rural communities around the city of Washington. Some even drive hours because they simply have no other option. Some patients have recently lost their jobs, others are homeless and living out of their cars - regardless of the severity of their financial struggles, finding health care for their children should be the last thing they have to worry about. We take that burden off of their backs and provide their children with medical care, vaccines, medications, or whatever else they may need. I see the gratitude in the smiles of the families I take care of everyday. They don't have to say anything, and I know that I am making a difference in their lives.
PP: In your opinion, how does PRIMO benefit smaller communities?
Dr. Chen: The smaller the community, the harder it is to find medical care and dental care. The more indigent the population is, the harder it is for them to have the financial capability to drive hours to see a doctor. The PRIMO program does everything it can to help fill these gaps and place physicians in areas that are in such great need for medical care.
PP: Has your work through the PRIMO program impacted where you see your career continuing years from now?
Dr. Chen: Definitely. If it was not for PRIMO, I may have just stayed out in California after I completed residency out there - because it is more convenient and it would have been easy to just find a job in the hospital I trained at. However, Thanks to PRIMO, I knew that I had this obligation waiting for me back in Missouri. I was reminded of why I signed up for the program in the first place. I love working in Washington and I love taking care of the families in this area. I would not have it any other way. I can definitely see myself working here or another rural community for the rest of my career.
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