Your Starter Guide to Jobs in Rural & Underserved Communities
A starter guide to understanding these opportunities and finding the right fit.
As springtime approaches, graduation season is upon us! This time of year 3RNET and our National Network of Coordinators see an uptick in health professionals looking for their first job opportunity. Some of whom are new college grads looking for their first career opportunity.
While this can be an exciting time for mission-minded health professionals who hope to begin their career in a rural or underserved community, we know how overwhelming any job search can be! That’s why 3RNET is here to help. For over 30 years, 3RNET has served as a nationwide, trusted catalyst for employers and health professionals to connect.
As job search season heats up, we thought it might be helpful to remind folks of some of the resources we’ve put together to support the mission-minded health professionals looking for their first, next, or forever career opportunity.
Understanding Safety Net Facilities
If you’re beginning your search for your first position as a health professional, rural and underserved communities offer opportunities to build a meaningful career while making a real difference.
Part of the “safety net” job search is knowing:
- The different types of health care employers covering the safety net (i.e. rural and underserved communities)
- 2. The potential financial incentives specific to medically underserved areas
Before starting your search, it helps to understand the types of facilities and communities where these opportunities exist. That’s why we’ve created 3RNET’s Guide to Safety Net Facilities. This free guide explains the different types of employers found in rural and underserved communities such as: community health centers, critical access hospitals, and more.
Some of the facility types are rural-specific, such as critical access hospitals or rural emergency hospitals. Others ensure everyone can get care, like a federally qualified health center (sometimes called a community health center). There are many types of facilities covered in this guide, but safety net facilities all have one commonality: ensuring access to health care across the United States.
Another reason to understand the different safety net facilities is because they are where incentive programs such as loan repayment or scholarship opportunities or often times available to health professionals. State and federal programs that help reduce education costs are usually available in addition to a sign on bonus from an employer.
Benefits of Living and Working in Rural Guide
Beyond the potential financial incentive of a loan repayment or scholarship program, rural communities offer their residents many lifestyle advantages!
There’s something special about small-town living. Rural communities are great places to raise families, enjoy the outdoors, and establish deep roots within your community. Our guide, the Benefits of Living and Working in Rural Communities, is a great reminder (or first-time explainer!) for rural living.
Rural living allows for great professional opportunities, too! Healthcare employers are oftentimes one of, if not the largest employer in a rural community. Working or practicing rural allows you to develop leadership skills (perhaps even earlier in your career), grow a more wide range of skills, and may allow for more flexibility and more freedom to work at the top of your licensure. And, many rural health care professionals are able to find a healthy work-life balance.
3RNET’s Career Compass Guide
Of course, every career path looks different—which is why having a plan helps. That’s why 3RNET developed our Career Compass Guide. If you’re not quite ready to graduate, but are already exploring your career options, we still have you covered!
3RNET’s Career Compass Guide helps you identify your professional priorities. Have you considered where you want to live and work? What type of population you’d like to serve? And, as we oftentimes see, you may have another decision maker (such as a family member, spouse, or partner) to consider, too.
We know that finding the right job is the real goal. Don’t just settle for any opportunity! No one wants to sign the dotted line of a contract only to be miserable several months or years down the road. Use the Career Compass Guide to help clarify your career direction, narrow down job opportunities, evaluate offers more confidently.
Starting Your Job Search
Whether you’re set to graduate in a few months or not, it’s probably not too early to start thinking about where you’d like to be once you’re ready to start your first, next, or forever job.
In addition to our free guides we’ve talked about above, remember that 3RNET Network Coordinators are also here to help! 3RNET Network Coordinators live and work in the states they represent, and they engage with many employers across their states. If you’re looking at a new state, or searching to go back home, they can help.
Resources Network Coordinators can share include:
- Types of employers they work with
- State-specific incentives (loan repayment programs, tax incentives, etc.)
- Information on job opportunities
- And more!
Find Your First, Next, or Forever Job with 3RNET
Rural and underserved communities offer purpose-driven opportunities. 3RNET is here to give you the right resources to help you find the right fit.
Whether you’re looking for adventure, community, or the chance to make a meaningful difference, rural and underserved communities offer countless opportunities for mission-minded health professionals like you, searching for your first, next, or forever opportunity.