The rural world
Medical student assists doctor of Moffat County Family Clinic
Mary Shearer woke up at 7 a.m. to the sounds of beeping pagers, footsteps on the kitchen floor and fresh coffee brewing.
It was a welcome sound.
Mary Shearer, public information director at Colorado Northwestern Community Col-
lege, missed the commotion of a busy household.
For this reason, she opened her five-bedroom house to Jacob Forke and Susan Ripper, medical students at University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center.
“My goal is to provide a comfortable living situation for them as they fulfill their studies,” Shearer said. “I consider them family.”
Since January, Shearer has hosted medical students of the Rural Track Program — a four-week program offered to medical students who want to experience rural medicine. She is impressed with the number of medical students who come to Craig to gain that experience.
For Jacob Forke, the rural experience is a perfect fit. The Montana native wants to return to his small -town roots.
But that is a long road for Forke, who is currently getting rural experience at the Moffat County Family Clinic.
After his work in Craig, he has to complete three more years of medical school and four years of residency to become a rural family doctor.
Forke — who arrived in Craig June 11 — said he is a committed medical student, studying up to 12 hours a day. This repetition has made each year of medical school progressively easier, Forke said.
“My advice to someone who wants to become a doctor is stick with it,” Forke said. “Being a doctor is not about being brilliant, it is about being willing to put in the time to learn the information.”
The friendly people, mountain fresh air and well-educated doctors of Craig have helped him learn how to create strong patient relationships.
“Andre Huffmire (Moffat Family Clinic doctor) is an incredible teacher,” Forke said. “She takes the time to explain the details and this commitment is reflected as she cares for each of her patients.”
Forke’s hands-on experience at the clinic put his future goals as a doctor in perspective.
“I don’t want to be the doctor who throws a prescription at his patient and says call me if it doesn’t work,” Forke said. “I want to be the doctor that patients can trust to help them.”
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