Rural Health Care and an Ethics of Familiarity

This commentary focuses on the narratives written from a variety of voices describing the unique challenges and rewards faced in rural health care. The authors speak from various areas of the country and from many professions including medicine, nursing, social work, and ethics and reflect the experiences of learners, new graduates, and long-time practitioners. The authors also represent people who were raised in rural environments and those who are from more urban settings. The commentary includes a discussion of some major themes from the rural bioethics literature that are reflected in these very personal narratives. The themes include lack of resources; overlapping relationships; resiliency; the need for partnerships and collaboration; and creativity. The commentary will also explore the dichotomy between learners and experienced practitioners and the possible missing voice of practitioners who could not tolerate the challenges and who left rural practice.