The SEARCH (Student/Resident Experiences And Rotations in Community Health) Program helps rural communities by providing stipends for health professions students and residents to train in underserved areas. The program is funded by the Bureau of Primary Care and administered jointly by the WVU Office of Rural Health and the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health.
Criteria

Stipends are awarded to students/residents regardless of their university affiliation who are pursuing careers in primary care as a doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, physician assistant, dentist, dental hygienist, social worker, or clinical psychologist. Medical students must have completed two months of a rural rotation before being considered for this program. Dental students must have completed two years of their professional training. All applicants must be full time and in good standing with their respective programs.

All students/residents must have completed one year of their professional training. Preference will be given to students/residents demonstrating one or more of the following attributes:

1. has strong ties to a rural area (preferably in West Virginia) as evidenced by the number of years of residence of presence of family ties in a rural locale and/or history of work or community service within a rural locale,
2. presently a NHSC scholarship recipient,
3. has demonstrated and interest in rural health, and/ or
4. has arranged a rural rotation at a WVRHEP site beyond the minimum of 20 days required.
Program Requirements

Students/Residents are required to take a leadership role in a community project, approved by the preceptor, site coordinator, and campus faculty. This project is in addition to primary care clinical work with a WVRHEP preceptor and weekly interdisciplinary seminars within the consortium. The project does, however, count towards the 20% of clinical time for community service that is required of students in rural rotations.

How Much Money Is Awarded?
Stipends are $75 for each day of practice in a rural community, for a minimum of 20 working days and a maximum of 100 working days per year.

How To Apply
Students/Residents should apply directly to the site coordinator in charge of the WVRHEP consortium site of interest (see http://www.wvrhep.org/consortia.html).

What Are the Deadlines for Applications?
Applications must be received by the WVRHEP site coordinator at the site of interest by August 19, November 18, February 17, or May 20. Two weeks later, applications with the Consortium site's recommendation are reviewed by a statewide committee and final awards are decided.

Applications available at http //hsc.wvu.:edu/consult/search

For more information, contact:
Jacki Masi-Razmus
WVU Office of Rural Health
(304) 293-1783
jmasirazmus@hsc.wvu.edu