Access to quality health care is at the core of a healthy community. Rural area hospitals play a vital role in attracting new families and businesses to small and mid-size cities. For this episode of OUTdrive, Cliff sat down with Dr. Stuart Braverman to discuss the ins and outs, challenges, and rewards of being a health care provider in rural America. 

Stu is a general surgeon in the private practice and is the Chief of Staff at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Missouri. He has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. Stu received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri before going on to Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Tufts consistently ranks among the world's best medical research institutions for clinical medicine year after year. Stu then completed his residency for general surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia before making his way back to Sedalia. 

Tune into this episode to learn how the Bothwell Regional Health Center has grown and how medicine has advanced exponentially since Stu started practicing medicine.  

What you’ll learn: 

• What led Stu towards medicine and what influenced him to pursue general surgery over orthopedics or family medicine
• Why Stu decided to return to Sedalia after completing his education and residency programs out East
• Stu’s role as Chief of Staff at Bothwell Regional Health Center
• Some of the challenges rural health care systems like Bothwell face
• Why a young physician should consider settling in a rural community like Sedalia and the advantages that come with it, professionally and personally
• What Stu’s typical week and surgery schedule look like
• Some of the things Stu is seeing from a technology standpoint that are exciting in the medical world
• The emphasis Stu puts on the personal aspect of healthcare and taking pride in your own practices as a business