The STFM Podcast
Bonus Conference Episode: Conference on Medical Student Education 2025
A Rural Call to Service, Action, and Advocacy via Accompaniment
Presented by Adrian N. Billings, MD, PhD; Texas Tech University
STFM Conference on Medical Student Education 2025 Closing Session | Sunday, February 2, 2025
In the evolving landscape of American health care, the call to practice and serve in rural communities offers a profound and transformative opportunity for clinicians. This presentation delves into the powerful concept of accompaniment—an approach where physicians not only deliver care but also actively engage with and support their patients and communities. For medical students aspiring to a career marked by meaningful impact, the rural setting offers a unique and inspiring canvas. Rural areas often face significant health care disparities, including limited access to medical resources and specialized care. This context demands a new kind of medical professional—one who is not only skilled in clinical practice but also deeply committed to community engagement and advocacy. The role of accompaniment involves more than just treating illness; it requires a holistic approach to patient care, emphasizing empathy, education, and empowerment.
Through accompaniment, physicians forge strong relationships with patients, understanding their unique challenges and needs. This model of care fosters trust and collaboration, leading to more effective and personalized treatment strategies. Additionally, it empowers health care professionals to become advocates for systemic changes that address the root causes of health inequities. Embracing a career in rural medicine through the lens of accompaniment offers a pathway to profound professional fulfillment and societal impact. Accompaniment aligns medical practice with the broader goals of social justice and health equity. For aspiring physicians, this approach not only enhances our clinical skills but also instills a deep sense of purpose and connection to the communities we serve. A call to service through accompaniment emerges as a beacon of hope and inspiration, guiding future medical leaders toward a more compassionate and equitable future.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:
- Describe causes and consequences of rural health disparities.
- Justify the practice of medicine outside the walls of a health care facility to combat social determinants of health.
- Value the concept of accompaniment as it relates to a career of service in medicine.
Copyright © Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, 2025
Adrian N. Billings, MD
Dr Adrian Billings, of Alpine, Texas, is a National Health Service Corps Scholar alumnus, the chief medical officer of Preventative Care Health Services FQHC in the rural Big Bend of Texas, professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, associate academic dean of Rural and Community Engagement, and senior fellow of the F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Additionally, he serves as senior fellow of Health Equity with the Atlantic Institute. Dr Billings has been a career-long community physician along the rural Texas-Mexico border of west Texas. He is an elected school board trustee for rural Alpine Independent School District, serves as an officer in the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, and works on the Board of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved. Dr Billings is passionate about rural health care workforce development and enabling rural borne and educated students opportunities to enroll in health care training programs.
