National Rural Health Day Essay Contest - Center for Rural Health

In celebration of National Rural Health Day, recognized each year on the third Thursday of November, the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan, the Michigan Center for Rural Health (Michigan's State Office of Rural Health) and the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health partner and host the National Rural Health Day Essay Contest. The contest is open to high school seniors who reside AND attend school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, are college/university bound the following fall semester and intend to pursue a healthcare career in human medicine. 

Essay requirements are 500 words minimum/1,000 words maximum submitted in double spaced format. Review criteria focuses on: 1) personal voice (student’s perception, insight and opinions), 2) content (issue/solution), and 3) persuasiveness. 

The essay review and scoring process is overseen by NMU English Professors who work with NMU students enrolled in upper-level courses that focus on the social and rhetorical processes of composition as well as writing theories, principles and contexts with a specific emphasis on assessing and responding to written work.  

NOTE: Individuals are not permitted the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in developing their essay for the National Rural Health Day Essay Contest. This essay is an opportunity to reflect on personal perceptions, opinions and experiences as an engagement in original thought. Submitted essays must showcase student’s own analysis and original synthesis of ideas. AI-generated responses are strictly prohibited.

Considering future impact is important because it shapes a student's development in several critical areas:

Enhancing Clinical Practice and Outcomes

• Proactive Problem Solving: Students start identifying gaps in current care models, leading them to pursue research, specialize in high-need areas, or advocate for better policies and/or protocols.
• Holistic View: Students learn to see patients not just as a set of symptoms, but as an individual within a community. The communities where patients live, work and play profoundly impacts their well-being. 

Fostering Innovation and Leadership

• System Improvement: Thinking about impact involves questioning the status quo. Future healthcare professionals recognize that their role extends beyond direct care to include improving the system through quality improvement initiatives, adopting new technology and advocating for policy changes.
• Leadership Development: This perspective naturally cultivates leadership qualities, as students recognize their responsibility to mentor individuals, guide teams and drive positive change in the health care industry. 

Promoting Health Equity and Justice

• Addressing Disparities: A crucial element of future impact is recognizing and committing to reducing health inequities. Students who think about this at a younger age are more likely to pursue careers or community work that focuses on vulnerable, underserved and/or marginalized populations.
• Advocacy: Students become more aware of how they can use their professional voice to advocate for health equity and justice when it comes to access to care.

Students transition from being passive learners to active agents of change when they reflect on how they may potentially contribute to the complex and evolving healthcare industry.