Health Care in a Rural Area

1. There are good doctors that work in the rural health care sector. There are unqualified, dangerous doctors that work in the rural health care system. No different than urban care. What makes physicians with lacking skills acceptable in the rural health care system, is the lack of choice. The basis of practicing physicians has to do with the number or a particular specialist. There is no mention of competency, skill level or experience.

2. Specialists do not exist. Unless my child is currently in a life threatening emergency, meaning I will need to transport them to the closest larger city and deliver them to the emergency room, the standard wait time for a specialist is 6 weeks to 6 months.
Visiting specialists offer clinics as often as once a week and as infrequently as once a month. The appointment that your child gets will be exceptionally quick and standardized, as the visiting specialist is on a tight schedule. Many of these appointments are standardized. My confidence level plummets when the specialist doesn't bother to take the time to confirm the patient's name.

There are caring physicians. As with other necessities, rural living has it's challenges. Health care is one of many.