2025 NTHU Medical Students Practicum in Rural Community Medical Practice

During the five-day “Community and Rural Healthcare Practice” course, medical students at NTHU were required to write three reflective journals based on their daily learning experiences at different stages of the program. This design encouraged students to continuously engage in self-observation and clinical reflection throughout the course. Compared with the traditional semester-long curriculum that emphasizes basic medical sciences and classroom lectures, this program allowed students to experience how foundational knowledge is applied in real clinical contexts. It also provided them with a deeper understanding that knowledge, attitude, and skills form an inseparable triad in medical training, shaping the essential foundation for their future as healthcare professionals.

Beyond the individual growth of students, this project also generated tangible outcomes for the teaching hospitals and the local communities they serve. By guiding students in providing healthcare services, medical staff not only demonstrated to local residents that more publicly funded physicians will eventually contribute to primary care in rural areas, but also strengthened community trust in medical education and healthcare resources. At the same time, long-serving healthcare professionals in these communities felt a strong sense of continuity and generational legacy through the involvement of new cohorts of medical students.

Overall, this course not only enhanced students’ clinical reasoning and professional development but also reinforced the sustainability of rural healthcare services. It exemplified the mutual benefits of integrating medical education with community engagement, highlighting how training future physicians can directly contribute to public health and social responsibility.