Future Pharmacist Aims to Bring Meaningful Connections to Small Town Nebraska
By Ed Rider
“Well, I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities …”
The lyrics of John Mellencamp’s 1985 hit song “Small Town” were written nearly two decades before Carter Schultz was born. But each line of the popular ditty encapsulates how the University of Nebraska at Kearney senior feels about his hometown of Doniphan, Nebraska, and smaller communities in general.
Schultz, who earned a degree in applied health sciences with a minor in public health from UNK, is part of the inaugural cohort of students enrolled in the University of Nebraska Medical Center pharmacy program based at the recently opened, privately supported Health Science Education Center in Kearney. Upon completion of his pharmacy degree, he wants to begin his career at a smaller, community pharmacy where he can create meaningful connections with patients.
A CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY
He chose UNK because he liked the close-knit campus and opportunities available for health science students. UNK is also where his parents, John and Amy, met.
“I love small-town Nebraska,” Schultz said. “I want to go back, not necessarily to Doniphan, but to a small town because that’s where I want to raise a family someday. The small-town feel brings a lot of charm and has definitely shaped me into who I am today. I don’t think you can get a true Nebraska experience unless you’re going to one of these small schools.”
Growing up in Doniphan, a town of approximately 800 people situated between Grand Island and Hastings, provided Schultz with the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities ― three sports, the school musical, band and student government ― which allowed him to diversify his talents and to grow as a leader. Schultz said that small towns provide a level of closeness and community that cannot be duplicated in larger cities. When his neighborhood flooded a few years ago, the community rallied by canceling school so students could assist with filling sandbags.
“We celebrate everyone’s wins and provide support during their challenges,” Schultz said. “It’s just so cool to see a community rally around each other.”
MEETING THE NEED FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN NEBRASKA
One challenge facing smaller Nebraska communities is the shortage of health care providers. Current rural health care workforce shortages, coupled with the large number of practitioners who are approaching retirement, threaten the availability of health care services due to a lack of providers. UNMC has made rural health care a priority through its expansion in Kearney and other initiatives to increase recruitment of rural students to the health care professions.
Schultz’s brother, Owen, a sophomore at UNK studying to become a special education teacher, was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy at the age of 12. That experience cultivated Schultz’s interest in the health care field.
It also gave Schultz firsthand insight into how health care inequities in rural Nebraska can impact patients and their families. He has a unique understanding of having to make the 2 1/2-hour drive to Omaha for his brother to be seen by a specialist, then make the same drive back to Doniphan.
“Omaha and Lincoln have very important resources. But I’ve seen how much of a toll it’s taken on my family having to drive back and forth to access care,” Schultz said. “I want to be a resource, so families don’t have to travel that distance if they don’t have to.”
Schultz said his brother’s condition played a significant role in his interest in pursuing health care as a profession. However, he wasn’t certain which field he wanted to study.
THE FEELING OF BEING HOME
Then he found pharmacy. Schultz took the initiative to job shadow at a pharmacy in Kearney. That led to jobs at several pharmacies, where he discovered how pharmacists can create meaningful connections with customers.
“Most people think pharmacists count out pills and fill prescriptions. It’s so much more especially from a connection side of things,” Schultz said. “There is a connection with the people coming through that door. You could be the reason they are coming to get the medicine to get better or stay alive. So, it’s much more of a social job than some people realize.”
Schultz gets a warm feeling of being home when he sees the Doniphan water tower on his drive back from Kearney. Even the sounds and smells from the nearby Nebraska State Trapshooting Association range bring him a sense of security ― the kind of comfort he wants his future patrons to feel.
“I truly believe health care is the best way to make a positive impact on people’s lives,” Schultz said. “It’s important for people to not only have access to these services but to have access to professionals who sincerely care about them.”
“Got nothing against a big town
Still hayseed enough to say
Look who’s in the big town
But my bed is in a small town
Oh, and that’s good enough for me.”
