The Rural Outreach Nursing Education Program (RONE) is a two-year associate degree RN program, designed to meet the critical need for more registered nurses in rural health care agencies in Washington State. The program uses the latest in distance education teaching and technology so that employed health care workers can pursue an Associate Degree in Nursing in their home community. The courses, including prerequisites, are available online through Lower Columbia College in Longview. Clinical education occurs at the student/employee’s hospital or clinic, and is augmented with additional experiences within the student’s community.

The first group of approximately 20 students began classes in January 2009. The clinical training sites for 2009 were in Goldendale, Morton, Port Townsend and Republic.

In January 2010, the program enrolled a second freshman cohort class, bringing the total number of students in the program to 25. Two new sites joined in 2010, Chewelah and Friday Harbor. The second year students are in process of taking their LPN boards while progressing through their studies to complete their Associate Degree in Nursing and become registered nurses.

In 2011, approximately 20 students began classes at training sites in Morton, Port Townsend, Chewelah, Shelton, Snoqualmie, Grand Coulee and Davenport. Nursing staff at the sites serve as clinical educators for the students.

RONE’s innovation has been recognized nationally. The program has been featured at the National Rural Health Association Annual Conference and the National Area Health Education Centers Organization (NAO) Workshop, as well as being featured in the NAO Annual Report.

The Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program (R/UOP) provides opportunities for University of Washington students between the first and second years of medical school to be placed with a preceptor in a rural or underserved clinical site in western Washington. R/UOP hopes to encourage primary care careers in clinical practice in addition to exposing the students to a rural or undeserved community.

Students receive broad clinical experiences and contact with the community and other members of the health care team. They may complete histories and physicals, assist with office procedures, attend births and assist in surgery. In addition, students have gone on home visits with public health and hospice nurses, worked with other providers, and attended town meetings and community cultural events. Students receive a stipend and funds for travel. They are assisted in locating and paying for local housing.

Preceptors are practicing physicians in rural sites or urban clinics serving the underserved. Most, but not all, are family physicians. A preceptor must be willing to take responsibility for a student’s experience at the site. This includes working with the student to establish a schedule of experiences, supervising patient-student contacts and helping the student evaluate her or his progress.

All preceptors are appointed as consultants or clinical faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine. R/UOP is recognized as an official educational program of the School of Medicine. Medical students and their preceptors are indemnified under the University’s liability policy for possible incidents arising from the students’ participation.

To read articles about being a preceptor, visit our Preceptor and Site Resources page.

The UW School of Medicine has extensive information on R/UOP program online. Visit the UW School of Medicine website.

The Rural Urban Nursing Outreach Program (RUN) provides an opportunity for senior nursing students at Seattle Central Community College to gain insight and knowledge of rural obstetrics and rural public health nursing.

Students spend a total of 16 hours of clinical time at an OB unit and 8 hours at a rural public health setting under the direct supervision of an assigned preceptor. In addition to making rounds with hospital nursing staff, students gain first-hand knowledge about public health nursing. Students are assisted in locating and paying for housing and receive reimbursement for transportation.

Preceptors are nurses at maternal child hospital units and other clinical facilities in rural Washington. A preceptor must be willing to assist students in discovering the special challenges of nursing in a rural setting, to supervise their performance and complete evaluations of student nurses participating in the program. RUN is recognized as an official educational program of Seattle Central Community College.