IUK graduates help meet the critical need for healthcare in Indiana

KOKOMO, Ind. - The future health care professionals who graduate from Indiana University Kokomo each year fill a critical need in the Hoosier state.

According to a report by the Jane Pauley Community Health Center, 71 of the state's 92 counties are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas - with rural areas more heavily impacted. With a projected deficit of over 800 doctors and 5,000 nurses by 2030, the need for additional health care workers is crucial.

In addition, 68 percent of the state's counties are designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage areas, and all 92 counties have been federally tagged as areas with mental health workforce shortages, as reported by the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy.

IU Kokomo graduates in a variety of programs are stepping into those gaps to serve their fellow Hoosiers as nurses, occupational therapy assistants, family nurse practitioners, dentists, licensed mental health counselors, physicians, and in other healthcare fields.

Nurse Practitioner Raymond Candelaria, Dr. Mary Elmasry, DDS, and students in the campus's Master of Mental Health Counseling programs represent the many IUK alumni who prepared for healthcare careers on our campus. These are their stories.

Providing a listening ear in family practice

Raymond Candelaria noticed a trend working as a nurse at St. Vincent Ascension Hospital in Kokomo.

"The longer I was there, I was seeing people who could have prevented being there if they were taken care of a little, or watched a little closer in an outpatient setting," he said.

He decided to return to IU Kokomo for its Family Nurse Practitioner program, to transition to a primary healthcare provider role. He now works in family practice for the Community Provider Network in Kokomo.

"From birth to death, we see it all," the Kokomo resident said. "I show up every day knowing I'm going to be there and try to help someone feel better and feel better about themselves."

In family practice, he enjoys the opportunity to build relationships with patients.

"It's a different level of care from what I saw a floor nurse," he said. "I see patients on the healthier side and get to know them on a more personal level. When you see a patient in the hospital, you never know what happens to them. I'm able to develop a rapport with the patients and get to know them better."

His goal is to be sure patients feel heard.

"I try to make an impact on every patient I see," he said. "I've seen doctors tell them a whole bunch of things and I know they don't understand. I take the time to explain the disease process and things they can do to help themselves, not just pharmaceutical-wise, but some lifestyle things.

"I feel like the patient feeling like they are in charge of their health will help them improve their health."

Candelaria became a nurse as an adult, after a short stint going to college and playing football right out of high school. He worked several careers and was a nail tech when his sister-in-law suggested he would be a great nurse. By then he also was married with young children.

"It rang true with me," he said. "I thought about it and prayed about it and felt it was a direction I should go. I had done the whole college thing because my parents wanted me to. Working to provide for my family and kids was a real driving factor for me."

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2015, worked a few years, and then returned for the Master of Science in Nursing Family Practitioner track. Now in practice, he also contributes to filling the shortage by mentoring FNP students.

"I know IU Kokomo is one of the few programs that actively looks for clinicals to help set them up. I'm really impressed with that," he said. "Those placements can be hard to fine. I try to support other nurses who are furthering their education."

Giving back to her hometown through dentistry

Inspired by her childhood dentist, Mary Elmasry chose a career in dentistry.

"I loved how jolly Dr. (David) Zandi was with patients, and how everyone knew him, and he provided great dental care," she said. "I wanted that lifestyle. I feel like I have that same vibe with patients and people in general."

After earning her degree in biology from Indiana University Kokomo she went to the IU School of Dentistry, completing her Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2022. She's currently a dentist at Indiana Health Centers, a federally qualified provider of medical, dental, and behavioral health care to medically underserved and uninsured patients.

"I wanted to come back to my hometown," Elmasry said. "I love that we can help underserved patients in Kokomo, giving them the opportunity to get quality dental care at an affordable price. It's a really humbling job. You get to see how blessed you are in life, and that the things you take for granted in life are really important."

Her IU Kokomo experiences prepared her for dental school success - especially her work researching with Kasem Kasem, professor of chemistry.

"It helped because dentistry is a very expanding field," she said. "There's new technology all the time. Research is an important thing, expanding your knowledge and keeping up with what's new. Working with Dr. Kasem helped me not be timid to do that kind of stuff in dental school."

Her class work also prepared her for the rigors of dental school.

"With the close-knit classrooms I understood the information better, and had a better knowledge of science," Elmasry said. "When I started dental school, I understood why things work, and the chemistry behind them, and the biology behind the human body."

In addition, her flexible class schedule allowed her the chance to job shadow with Dr. Zandi, so she arrived at dental school with a real idea of what it would require.

"It immersed me more into the field, and getting comfortable working with patients and what to do in a stressful situation," she said, adding that between her classes and job shadowing, she felt ready for dental school, even though she was nervous.

"It's like you are being put in a class with all smart people, and you want to be at least above average in this smart group," Elmasry said.

She's also grateful for scholarships that helped her reduce her tuition costs through undergraduate and dental school. At IU Kokomo she received a pre-professional scholarship, which also included a laptop. While in the School of Dentistry she also received several scholarships.

"That helped me a lot financially," she said. "I didn't have any loans for undergraduate because of scholarships, which set me up because dental school is very expensive."

Mental health counseling students help through free counseling clinic

Future licensed mental health counselors are already making a difference at IU Kokomo, offering counseling services in a free community-based clinic.

Rosalyn Davis, clinical professor of psychology and director of the mental health counseling program, and Joe Waters, clinical associate professor of psychology, supervise the counselors-in-training as they provide one-on-one, family, and couples counseling services two nights a week.

"We're providing a service to the community, letting people have access to mental health treatment, but also gives students real experience as they are developing as counselors," Waters said.

The need for both immediate services and future providers is great. The Indiana State Medical Association reports that more than 1 million Hoosier adults who have a mental health condition are affected by the shortage, with 345,000 not receiving the care they need.

IU Kokomo helps fill the gap in the short term with its free counseling services, and in the long-term by educating future providers with its Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program, which started in 2018. It accepts a new cohort of 20 every two years, with the most recent graduating in May. A new class starts in August.

"Between us and IU East we have trained just under 90 counselors," Davis said. "We're helping meet very specific kinds of needs. These students have gone to do programming throughout the state. They are working in agencies around Indiana. They are providing a number of services that would not be met if they did not have that graduate training under their belts.

"Our alumni are doing going things in multiple ways throughout the state," she said.

Waters added that it truly is statewide impact, as students are commuting up to 90 minutes to earn the degree in Kokomo. There has been interest from international students for the new cohort that starts in August as well.

"Every county in Indiana has a mental health counseling shortage, so no matter where they go, they are filling a critical need," he said.

Students in the program practice their skills through the free community clinic, with Davis and Waters supervising and reviewing their cases. Davis said most sessions are recorded, so one of them can review and make sure the students didn't miss anything.

Clients may attend as many sessions as they want, at no charge, which helps potential clients who are underinsured or don't have insurance.

For more information or to request a counseling appointment email [email protected].

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