Aurora Lakeland Medical Center - Elkhorn, 2025 Community Benefits
Growing Wisconsin’s rural health care workforce
Aurora Health Care is focused on eliminating gaps in care for in every community within our reach across Wisconsin, especially in rural communities. To ensure we have the skilled workforce needed to reach this goal and redefine care for all, we continuously invest in building a robust pipeline of trained and committed clinicians to support our work. Two key programs support our efforts to address the unique needs of rural communities by preparing the next generation of highly skilled medical professionals, who will deliver care in even the most remote communities.
Addressing the rural physician shortage Aurora BayCare Medical Center, in Green Bay, serves as a regional clinical campus for the Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM), a program of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Following the successful completion of their 18-month in-class basic science curriculum, WARM medical students complete the last 2 ½ years of their clinical training in a rural learning environment. Delaine Anderson is one of six new medical students who enrolled in the WARM program at Aurora BayCare Medical Center during 2024. She and her colleagues train to provide much-needed patient care services in anesthesiology, internal medicine, neuroscience, OB/GYN, pediatrics, primary care, radiology, surgery and other clinical experiences, under the guidance of practicing rural physicians.
“Compared to my urban counterparts, I have been able to get a lot more involved in my clinical rotations, even being entrusted to deliver eight babies with supervision on my obstetric rotations,” Delaine says.
Delaine decided to dedicate her medical career to rural health during her undergraduate years at the University of Alabama. Back then, Delaine experienced a personal health problem that required specialty care. When she discovered the closest specialist was over two hours away, Delaine resolved to make medical care easier to access in rural communities. Delaine has a strong interest in tribal medicine and has completed public health service and clinical rotations with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Based on these experiences, she hopes to pursue further training with Native Nations in the final year of medical school and work for Indian Health Services later in her career.
Training champions of rural health care The Aurora Lakeland Family Medical Center, in Elkhorn, serves as a training ground for medical residents aspiring to become family physicians. In 2024, 12 medical residents each spent three days a week at Aurora Lakeland, helping members of rural Walworth County achieve good health. As part of their rigorous three-year residency, these beginning health professionals mastered effective models of outpatient care delivery, disease prevention, health promotion and practice management — all with a focus on addressing the unique needs and challenges facing people who live in rural communities. The residents help expand Aurora Health Care’s rural patient care capabilities in partnership with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Addressing the rural physician shortage Aurora BayCare Medical Center, in Green Bay, serves as a regional clinical campus for the Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM), a program of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Following the successful completion of their 18-month in-class basic science curriculum, WARM medical students complete the last 2 ½ years of their clinical training in a rural learning environment. Delaine Anderson is one of six new medical students who enrolled in the WARM program at Aurora BayCare Medical Center during 2024. She and her colleagues train to provide much-needed patient care services in anesthesiology, internal medicine, neuroscience, OB/GYN, pediatrics, primary care, radiology, surgery and other clinical experiences, under the guidance of practicing rural physicians.
“Compared to my urban counterparts, I have been able to get a lot more involved in my clinical rotations, even being entrusted to deliver eight babies with supervision on my obstetric rotations,” Delaine says.
Delaine decided to dedicate her medical career to rural health during her undergraduate years at the University of Alabama. Back then, Delaine experienced a personal health problem that required specialty care. When she discovered the closest specialist was over two hours away, Delaine resolved to make medical care easier to access in rural communities. Delaine has a strong interest in tribal medicine and has completed public health service and clinical rotations with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. Based on these experiences, she hopes to pursue further training with Native Nations in the final year of medical school and work for Indian Health Services later in her career.
Training champions of rural health care The Aurora Lakeland Family Medical Center, in Elkhorn, serves as a training ground for medical residents aspiring to become family physicians. In 2024, 12 medical residents each spent three days a week at Aurora Lakeland, helping members of rural Walworth County achieve good health. As part of their rigorous three-year residency, these beginning health professionals mastered effective models of outpatient care delivery, disease prevention, health promotion and practice management — all with a focus on addressing the unique needs and challenges facing people who live in rural communities. The residents help expand Aurora Health Care’s rural patient care capabilities in partnership with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
