Scott Findley,
MD
West Virginia University
- Position
- Associate Professor, Critical Access Medical Director, Emergency Medicine
- Phone
- 304-293-2436
Rural Emergency Medicine (REMI)
Rural Emergency Medicine is a unique opportunity for residents to leave the large academic setting and become immersed in rural emergency medicine. What makes us stand out among our peer institutions that have similar programs is the ability for our residents to pick from a large number of hospitals around the state of West Virginia and make their own schedule at so many different locations. We have a large number of faculty that work both in the tertiary care center as well as in critical access hospitals, so the residents are also working with familiar faces in new locations.
Rural hospitals in West Virginia are busier than most and comprise a significant number of healthcare visits. The Division of Rural Emergency Medicine represents an expanding network of critical access hospitals totaling upwards of 125,00 patient visits per year. Historically, hospitals have practiced in isolation, trying due to the limited resources at their disposal. We seek to change that through the construction of a cooperative network and resource pooling.
We will also work towards developing an onboarding/credentialing process for midlevel providers, assuring that they are prepared to practice in these environments.
Mission and Goals
The creation of WVU Rural Emergency Medicine Division will facilitate a multi-pronged approach to improving care in rural communities throughout Appalachia. This will be achieved by focusing on three pillars:
- Clinical Operations: Optimize care delivery in smaller emergency departments
- Education: Provide perspective and exposure to emergency medicine residents and medical students interested in rural emergency medicine
- Research: Perform and present original research at state and national conferences, cross-collaborate with other groups and establish a West Virginia rural emergency medicine research database