Kaitlyn Davis, PA-C

Kaitlyn Davis began her career in rural medicine as a paramedic in Florida. Her first position was in interfacility transportation, transferring patients from a standalone ER to facilities in the city. It involved a lot of extremely ill patients and a lot of critical thinking - and she fell in love with it. “I knew that’s where I wanted to be,” she said. After transferring over to prehospital care, she began working towards becoming a physician assistant, knowing all the while that she wanted to stay in rural communities. 

Kaitlyn worked full-time while earning her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and then attended Pacific University, where she completed their physician assistant program. While finishing her PA degree, Kaitlyn attended a presentation given by Trixie Lacas of the Oregon Office of Rural Health, where she learned about the resources available to her regarding her job search. As a Primary Care Loan Forgiveness recipient, Kaitlyn agreed to a one-year “give back” period, meaning she would need to find a placement in a rural or underserved community following graduation. Reaching out to Trixie seemed the logical next step to aid her in her search. 

Continue reading Kaitlyn's story here.

Amanda Stone, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Behind every successful 3RNET placement, there are dedicated people hard at work helping job seekers find their first, next or forever opportunity. Trixie Lacas, 3RNET’s Oregon Network Coordinator who helped register Amanda, a behavioral health nurse practitioner on the 3RNET job site, allowing Amanda to connect seamlessly with a community on the southern coast of Oregon - the “unicorn” position she’d long been hoping to find. 

Amanda Stone, PMHNP, is a third-generation nurse. “Nursing is in my family,” she said. “I’ve always been drawn to it, drawn to helping people, helping improve the lives of others around me.”

Growing up in a suburb of Portland, Amanda was familiar with the disparities, the mental health population, and with lower socioeconomic status populations in an urbanized area. She also experienced rural populations during her time at the University of South Dakota, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2013.

It was after college, while working in central Oregon, that she really developed a love for rural populations. “That was really fun,” she said of her experience, “[Central Oregon] is kind of the last hub until you get to Salem or Portland or even Boise, so just being familiar with what resources you can provide is rewarding. I’ve always been fascinated with that population and getting resources and help there.”

Continue reading Amanda's story.

This is Dr. Jasmine Usher-Ledet's Story

Dr. Jasmine Usher-Ledet’s rural upbringing cultivated an admiration of the relationship family medicine doctors create with their patients. Growing up, her medical experiences were with rural doctors who knew her entire family and provided holistic care. As she trained to become a family medicine physician herself, she knew that she too wanted to provide this type of care and build relationships like the ones she had experienced as a child in Ontario, Canada.

When Jasmine applied for residency programs, she knew something small would put her on the professional path she sought. Rural programs were exactly what she was looking for. When she matched with the rural residency at Ohio State University’s rural program – she was elated! After a fantastic experience growing into the rural doc she was working to become, she moved to practicing rural medicine in Ohio.

Several years later, Dr. Usher-Ledet was ready for a new adventure. One where she could continue practicing in a rural community with an organization that understood her need for full-spectrum family care—the type of care she admired growing up and where she felt she could do the greatest good. So, she headed to 3RNET. She knew 3RNET was her best bet to find her dream job—and boy, did she find her dream job!

Continue reading Dr. Usher-Ledet's story.

This is Dr. Ann Ruffo's Story

Dr. Ruffo was looking for an opportunity where she could succeed in the same ways she had growing up on the farm and during her time in the military: through teamwork and fostering relationships. Her diverse experience taught her there is no place she’d rather live, work, and raise her family than a rural area. 

When Dr. Ruffo registered on 3RNET, she reached out using a website feature which allowed her to tell Coal Country Community Health Center in Beulah, North Dakota she was interested in their posted position. From there, 3RNET's North Dakota Network Coordinator immediately reached out to CCCHC to let them know someone was interested.

Ann fit right in with her colleagues and, despite a snowstorm (in true North Dakota fashion) derailing a few plans during this visit, she and her husband seemed to fit right into the community, too!

Read Dr. Ruffo's entire story here.

This is Dr. Elizabeth Erikson’s Story

There were several considerations for Dr. Elizabeth Erikson when contemplating the community where she’d like to establish a family medicine practice. She wanted to be a part of an organization that aligns with her goals for improving access to health care for underserved populations. Also essential was to work with those who would support her efforts focused on prevention.

Did her vision ‒ caring for multiple family members to help them improve their health together as a unit ‒ exist? And if it did, would she find the opportunity in a location that would allow her and her young family to live their best life, close to nature, the mountains, water and big skies?

Continue reading Dr. Erikson's story.

Dr. Rameez Chaviwala's Story

Rameez M. Chaviwala, MD, came to the United States to study and practice medicine from Richmond Hill in Ontario, Canada.

Upon completing his residency, Dr. Chiviwala’s colleagues encouraged him to register with 3RNET. Knowing that the non-profit organization offered him essential resources for navigating the complex J-1 Visa Waiver Program and could help him find a practice opportunity that aligned with his career goals and medical-home practice philosophy.

Meet the 3RNET Network Coordinators who worked with a health center Executive Director and Human Resources Director in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, to find Dr. Chaviwala, whose story has a happy ending ‒ a new career in a Federally Qualified Health Clinic (FQHC) located in the picturesque Northern Pocono Mountains.

Continue reading Dr. Chaviwala's story here.