Rocky Vista University – Montana Foundations: Connecting Students to Community
Taite Lozano Brown understood the importance of community before she even walked through the front doors of Rocky Vista University – Montana (RVU-MT).
Before joining the Master of Medical Sciences (MMS) program on the Billings, Montana campus, Lozano Brown finished her undergraduate degree in 2020 with a plan to attend medical school. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to instead get her phlebotomy certification and join a clinic that treated medically underserved patients in Dallas, Texas. She quickly found her calling helping underserved patients and worked her way up to the position of clinic manager.
Lozano Brown enjoyed getting to know the clinic’s long-time patients and cherished the close-knit community she was a part of. That passion for community and service encouraged her to start looking into medical school again.
RVU-MT’s focus on serving rural patients and the school’s community-oriented reputation set her on a journey to join the MMS Class of 2027. She hopes to matriculate into the Rocky Vista University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVU-MCOM) and train as a rural medicine physician.
“Being able to train in an area like this, see the needs of the people, see the needs of the community and be able to stay and work here long-term is the ultimate goal,” she said.
Building a Strong Foundation
RVU faculty and staff build that strong sense of community for students starting day one with Foundations, a two-week long orientation that lays the “foundation” for students as they begin their respective programs. In July, RVU-MCOM Class of 2030 and the MMS Class of 2027 kicked off the school year with introductory orientation sessions about the curriculum, campus safety, test-taking, tutoring, and more.
In addition to setting students up for academic success, Foundations introduces them to the RVU-MT and Billings communities, said Kate Hagenbuch, director of student life and special events on the Montana campus.
“It’s important to build that connection,” Hagenbuch said. “Part of why our students want to become physicians is because they want to be community-oriented and help people.”
Community is deeply rooted in RVU’s mission, vision, and values. Not only do RVU faculty and staff want to inspire students to serve the greater good, but they also want to emphasize the importance of each students’ well-being, Hagenbuch said.
“Students are coming here and they want to feel like they belong,” she said.
A Supportive Environment
It’s no surprise that medical school is challenging, but through Foundations, RVU strives to connect students to resources that offer support when they need it.
One of those opportunities is an ice cream social where first-year DO students meet with their second-year DO student mentors. These mentors serve as a guide to the new students as they navigate their first two years of medical school. Typically, two second-year DO students are paired with three first-year DO students.
As a prospective student from Nebraska, Julia Rose decided to attend RVU-MCOM because of the academic and social support the program provides. Before medical school, Rose helped people who were incarcerated re-integrate into society, an experience that emphasized the importance of community and supportive resources.
With the help of her mentors, Rose hopes to build her confidence as a student.
“Medical school is really scary, so if you can build a community where you feel safe to make mistakes and be who you are and be collaborative, I think that is one of the most valuable things,” she said.
A Sense of Belonging
During Foundations, RVU staff educate students on the importance of mental, physical, and social well-being while in medical school, encouraging them to participate in clubs and use the resources available through RVU’s Mental Health & Wellness Services.
Clubs help them establish friendships and foster a sense of belonging on campus, so second-year students showcase a variety of clubs and organizations during Foundations that new students can participate in.
One of those clubs is the Montana campus’s chapter of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, or APAMSA. Kyle Lew, APAMSA student secretary, and Jenni Truong, APAMSA student president, said that the club is a way to represent and bring together Asian students at RVU-MT. Any student can participate in the club, they said.
Both Lew, who is Cantonese, and Truong, who is Vietnamese, have families that live in different states, and the club is a way for them and other students to celebrate holidays together that they would normally celebrate with family.
Last year, the club hosted a dumpling-making event during the Chinese New Year. This year, they hope to host a night market where students can teach their peers about their cultures through food and celebration.
“With Asian club, I was able to find this little community that I have, get to know more people with similar interests, and at the same time, learn more about their cultures and traditions.” Lew said.
Finding a community in medical school has helped Lew succeed academically by prioritizing work-life balance and building connections with supportive peers.
“It plays a big part in who I am today,” he said.
Building Camaraderie
To MMS Program Director, Arthur Coulton, PhD, working within a team as a physician is like building furniture with a group.
At a fundamental level, both situations require teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and other soft skills, and developing these skills serves as one of the major learning outcomes of the MMS program, said Dr. Coulton. That’s why during Foundations, MMS students banded together to assemble a simple drawer set to not only get to know their fellow colleagues, but to also practice their people skills.
“It’s a good way for the students to break the ice and get to know each other and, more importantly, know how to work with each other,” Dr. Coulton said.
But the MMS program’s efforts in building community don’t stop there. Students take Service, Reflection, and Scholarship, or SRS, courses in the fall and spring. The courses require students to log at least five hours per semester of volunteer work and introduce students to the field of research.
“Low-stakes team building creates a pressure-free environment where future physicians can safely hone their skills of communication, leadership, and mutual trust,” Dr. Coulton said. “These are important characteristics and skills that can translate directly into seamless collaboration during high-stakes medical situations.”
Community Connections
RVU faculty and staff encourage students to get out and explore the Billings community during their first two weeks on campus. Students have lunch in Downtown Billings, volunteer at the local zoo, and more. Outside of Foundations, students are encouraged to volunteer at least 10 hours per semester throughout the school year. This not only sets them apart from others during residency placement, but it also connects students to the broader community.
Clubs like Outreach and Mutual Aid, or OMA, focus on community service and addressing the medical and social needs of Yellowstone County, where Billings is located.
OMA President and second-year DO student, Chelsea Endres, said that students can start projects they’re passionate about or participate in initiatives the club pursues each year. Club members deliver meals to the local Ronald McDonald House, perform CPR trainings with local high school and middle school students, provide podiatry care for individuals experiencing homelessness, and more.
“This is why I’m getting into medicine because I love my community,” Endres said. “OMA allows me to stay rooted in that and have a way to give back while still in school.”
Lozano Brown is pursuing medicine for that same reason. She hopes to foster a strong connection with her future patients, the same kind of connection she experienced at the clinic in Texas.
With the help of RVU, she’s confident she’ll get there.
“I want to go to a place where people know my name and I know their name,” Lozano Brown said. “For me, being in a community where I can walk down the street and everyone is like, ‘that’s the town doc,’ that means the world to me.”
RVU’s Commitment to Community
RVU students serve in a variety of ways throughout their medical school journey. Student governments from osteopathic schools across the country volunteer each year to raise funds for charity during National Osteopathic Week on a day called DO Day of Service in April. This year, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine Colorado hosted a medical field day for over 100 third-grade students.
Both RVU-MCOM and Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine Utah hosted free skin cancer screening clinics for members of the Billings and St. George communities in April.
To learn more about how RVU students give back, visit the Peak News & Stories page on the RVU website.