Full circle moment
From the recruited to the recruiter, this year’s Community Showcases gave a new perspective to one former UND medical student.
Tyrone Berentson, M.D., is a family physician at SMP Health St. Andrew’s in Bottineau, N.D. Now in his third year of practice, he has come full circle, from the recruited to the recruiter.
Rewind eight years: In the spring of 2017, Berentson was a third year medical student at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS). Coming off a month of mandatory rural training in western North Dakota, he was freshly set on wanting to go into the family medicine specialty. Yet he was still not sure what type of community or practice setting would be right for him.
That’s when he heard about an event in his campus community in Minot, N.D. The event was called the Minot Community Showcase, one of four Showcase events held that year, by the SMHS and its affiliates, which offered medical students and residents an opportunity to meet and connect with multiple healthcare employers from across the state.
Practicing closer to home
Berentson knew he wanted to eventually practice near his hometown of Minot, so he was drawn to employers at the event that fit his criteria, including two rural Critical Access Hospitals. Those conversations and connections were pivotal for Berentson insofar as they sparked the realization that rural family practice might be a great option for him.
“Once I landed on family medicine and had the opportunity to rotate in rural hospitals, that’s when I started to consider the idea of working in a rural location,” Berentson said. “Being able to spend time and submerge myself into the communities while learning and training at the hospital helped to give me a glimpse of how impactful rural medicine can be.”
A future as a rural family medicine physician was now his goal, and because he knew he wanted to stay in North Dakota, Berentson eventually applied for the state-sponsored tuition reimbursement program called RuralMed. With this program, Berentson committed to working for five years in a rural community after completing residency training. In return, his medical school tuition would be fully paid, and his overall student loan debt would be drastically reduced.
As Berentson navigated his way through the rest of medical school and residency – even adding a sports medicine fellowship onto his training – he remained in contact with the UND Center for Rural Health to stay informed of potential practice opportunities that would fulfill his RuralMed commitment.
“We actually received a call from Stacy Kusler, from the Center for Rural Health, indicating Tyrone was looking for a rural practice location,” said Chris Albertson, CEO of SMP St. Andrew’s. “We had been recruiting for some time though other channels with no luck.”
Once Berentson connected with leadership at St. Andrew’s, he knew he would be able to create the type of practice that would fulfill him. He was drawn to the facility because of the flexibility and autonomy offered by leadership during his recruitment conversations. Having spent an extra year after residency doing a sports medicine fellowship, it was highly important to Berentson that he be able to incorporate sports into his practice.
“St. Andrew’s has been fantastic at allowing me to practice a very broad scope of medicine, even as I push to bring new procedures and services that were not previously offered,” Berentson said.
While St. Andrew’s was not one of the connections Berentson made at the Community Showcase event back in 2017, the event certainly re-routed his path to a rural practice.
“Being able to have those conversations at the Showcase, and then see the facility first-hand, played a major role in me eventually choosing Bottineau,” Berentson said.
Fulfilling work
Berentson has worked hard over the past three years to mold his practice to serve his patients in Bottineau, a town of around 2,000 people nestled on the edge of the Turtle Mountains. Just a short drive away from Lake Metigoshe, which offers recreation year-round, Bottineau is a vibrant community with activities like pickleball, basketball, volleyball, golf, and even an active local theater group. Berentson feels needed in the community, and that his service as a physician is appreciated.
“Working in a rural setting is extremely rewarding, especially as a provider who tries to practice a wide spectrum of medicine. There isn’t a day at work that goes by without a patient commenting on ‘how lucky we are to have you in our community,’” Berentson said.
“Tyrone has brought a freshness to the medical practice at St. Andrew’s,” added Albertson. “His willingness to take an active role in process improvement and be involved in the community has been a true blessing for our hospital and clinic.”
Advice for future physicians
Once the recruited, Berentson has now become the recruiter as he works to add more health professionals to his team in Bottineau. As part of St. Andrew’s recruitment efforts, which includes adding another physician, and helping the local college recruit athletic trainers, Berentson attended the Bismarck and Minot Community Showcases, and the Grand Forks Spring Meet and Greet this past April.
“Having the full-circle experience was a neat moment at the Community Showcases,” he said. “I was able to stand across the table from students who are in the position I was in not so long ago.”
The message he shared with medical students at each of the events was to be open to all possibilities.
“My advice to students is to allow yourself the grace to be flexible and find what you’re passionate about by giving a full effort to each rotation,” Berentson said. “At the end of the day, you are going to be a doctor, which is a pretty awesome achievement, so you might as well love what you do.”
