Medical students from Witten in action at the country doctor's surgery

Next Monday, 7 August 2023, the time has finally come - the first assignment in a rural medical practice! 24 second-semester medical students at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) will begin their one-week internship in a general practice as part of the LOCALHERO project. The participating districts in which the Witten students will gain practical experience include Lippstadt, Olpe, the Märkischer Kreis and the Hochsauerlandkreis. The Siegerland district is new to the programme.

Presenting rural doctor life as vividly as possible

From 7 to 11 August, the prospective doctors will visit the practices to gain an insight into life as a rural doctor. "Last year, the first cohort started with LOCALHERO. In discussions with the districts and students, I have seen a great willingness to show the young doctors rural life as vividly as possible," says Dr Lucas Bisplinghoff. The general practitioner is himself a GP in private practice and supervises the project on behalf of the Institute of General Practice at the UW/H. "From secure local mobility with e-bikes to visits to well-known sights or planned events in the communities, everything was and is included," says Bisplinghoff.

The enthusiasm for living and working in the countryside is intended to counteract the shortage of doctors in the regions participating in the project. Although there are more doctors today than ever before, the density of care is declining in many rural parts of the country. LOCALHERO has developed an innovative teaching concept that includes a theoretical part, many different practical experiences and an accompanying programme. This accompanying programme is run by the respective districts and gives students a comprehensive insight into working as a rural doctor.

Students, patients and practices in rural areas benefit equally

Students also have the opportunity to make their own suggestions within the project to make the practice-oriented degree programme at the UW/H even more attractive. The project has also enabled many new teaching practices to be recruited that are otherwise not linked to a university training programme. As a result, the teaching physicians can take advantage of a wide range of free training courses at the UW/H and help shape university teaching. And finally, local patients also benefit from the reinforcement of young doctors, as the project is intended to ensure functioning GP care for them - now and in the future.