Definition of Rural

Specialties Rural

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As populations increase and suburban America expands, I would be interested in knowing what qualifies as rural. I worked for 7 years at a small hospital in east central Idaho. Our nearest regional medical center equipped to deal with trauma and cardiac emergencies was 160 miles away. How does this distance compare with others working at rural hospitals?

Ruthie,

Sounds like you are either in Alaska or northern parts of Canada. I am going to spend time in a nursing station in northern Ontario. Nursing stations are staffed by 2-8 nurses who do everything from suture to X-ray to lab tech. Doc's visit once a month and the nearest road is 300 miles away! You are the only game in town... sounds like fun!

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I guess it depends on what the definition is being used for. The Census Bureau defines rural and urban and suburban (maybe others) to define area types. This is what they base statistics on that may result in federal funding. You might try their website to see if there is a definition.

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Ruthie,

Sounds like you are either in Alaska or northern parts of Canada. I am going to spend time in a nursing station in northern Ontario. Nursing stations are staffed by 2-8 nurses who do everything from suture to X-ray to lab tech. Doc's visit once a month and the nearest road is 300 miles away! You are the only game in town... sounds like fun!

The hospital I work in is actually in northern California (haha), I have been told that we are the smallest rural hospital in California, I guess I can believe it.... We do have a doctor in town, so I guess its not quite as isolated as the nursing stations, we can run labs and take X-rays, but if it is more serious than that, they get flown (too far for copters) to bigger hospitals, about a three hour drive in any direction....The other night (0300) we had a huge anterior wall MI come in the door ("I have chest pain because I sleep with the window open at night..."). It was exciting to run your own labs and take a chest X-ray, stabilize him, etc while we waited for the plane to land at our tiny airport a mile down the road...you definetely wear many hats as a rural nurse. I am excited for you to get the oppoutunity to work at one of the stations, that sounds like a lot of fun!!! Do you have to fly in if there are no roads?-Ruthie
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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

When I lived in Alaska at Delta Junction - the nearest level III trauma center was 110 miles away and the roads weren't passable all the time. The nearest level one was over 500 miles away and again on a road passable only about six months of the year!

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Specializes in surgical, emergency.

100 plus miles from a Level I, doing your own tests, doc a few times a week.

I live in what I thought was "rural" Ohio, until I read some of your tales!!!

We are a small community hospital, only Level III in this section of Ohio.

3 OR's (actually 6 rooms, use 3 at a time usually) about 60 some beds, that varies some, and a 15 bed ED.

EMS response times can be rather long. Golden Hour??, forget it. We have one paid ambulance service and several great vol. squads.

We have a chopper 10 mins, plus or minus, away from us. Our big referring hospitals are "only" 50-75 miles away. Also some great docs living within site of the hospital, in some cases.

After reading your tales, I think I would be terrified, yet tempted to want to experience what you do. I feel I'm old school, and would also like the challenge of wearing several hats.......but, snakes and spiders...YIKE!!! :eek:

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After reading your tales, I think I would be terrified, yet tempted to want to experience what you do. I feel I'm old school, and would also like the challenge of wearing several hats.......but, snakes and spiders...YIKE!!! :eek:

I would worry excessively about liability issues, since I'm coming from bigger facilities where we have all the resources available to intervene quickly and effectively. Hope you have good policies and procedures to protect you.

I find when I take assignments in rural facilities I have difficulty adapting, so I'm staying away from them for now...LOL! I admire those of you who do it though and can appreciate the dificulties.

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Do you have to fly in if there are no roads?-Ruthie

Yes you do have to fly, one hour flight from the nearest small airport in a small 18 seater, landing on a dirt runway! You can actually drive there in winter as the winter road system over frozen lakes and muskeg allow for easier driving. It was a great experience!

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Specializes in geriatric.
if the people who live in your own community call it a "band-aid stand" and have the nerve to do it while they are standing in front of you- you're rural.

guess my hospital qualifies then:chuckle

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Specializes in Rural.
The clinic I work at is considered by the state to be rural. It does not seem so to me- the population here is about one hundred thousand. We have two medical hopitals. We see about 500 patients monthly at my clinc. )

This was always confusing to me, since we live two hours from anywhere. The next nearest large center is only 26,000 and may be considered rural itself. I have since been informed that we are not 'rural' we are 'frontier.' Seems a shame that cities of 100,000 can get the grants of 'real rural areas.'

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Specializes in ER, OB, Med/Surg,.

Rural = no traffic lights...and no rush hour traffic... It also means dirt roads and chipped windshields from the gravel on the roads from the sand trucks in the winter. Rural also means that people are out numbered by the wildlife, cattle and horses in the county!

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