UVA School of Medicine

Rural medicine isn't all high tech these days. There are still so-called "country doctors," like John Otho "Rob" Marsh, III, MD, Res '93. When he graduated from medical school, he thought he wanted to be a surgeon or an orthopedist. Maybe an eR doc. Something exciting. he was in the US Army, though, where he did a general medicine internship and had to go into the field for two years as a general practitioner before choosing a specialty. During that two years—which stretched into seven— Marsh cared for soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg and overseas when he was deployed to Desert Storm. When Marsh's commanding officer finally ordered him to choose a specialty, he decided he liked what he was already doing. "i took care of really good people," Marsh says. "There was this sense of community. i liked what i was doing, and i realized what i was doing was family medicine." As it happened, the UVA Family Medicine program had an opening at the time. So Marsh, who grew up in Shenandoah county and earned his undergraduate degree at UVA, returned to his alma mater to do his residency. Marsh knew all along that he wanted to return to the Valley to practice in a rural community. in fact, during residency, he lived in Middlebrook and commuted to charlottesville; he wanted to get to know the area and its people. After training, the University helped him set up a rural practice in the town. now Marsh has a second office in Raphine where he also serves the long-haul truckers who get off the interstate to rest at the truck stop next door. Marsh makes house calls, is on call 24/7 and is the only primary care physician who still makes hospital rounds at Augusta Medical center in Fishersville. he also carries a prescription pad wherever he goes, because his patients like to talk to him when they see him at the grocery store, and sometimes they need something. On Fridays, UVA family medicine residents come out to Marsh's office to get some experience doing procedures. he enjoys serving as a preceptor for UVA medical students, giving them opportunities to follow their own patients and experience providing hands-on care that they don't often get at the Medical center. For his efforts to provide care to rural communities, Marsh was named "country Doctor of the Year" in 2014 by Staff care, a national physicians staffing firm. "i'm taking care of my friends and neighbors," Marsh says. "i know pretty much where everyone lives, who they're related to, who their cousins are, and who they're married to. it's one of the few professions that allows you to get into people's lives. Patients really appreciate the care i give, and they know i'm trying to do my best for them. it's really rewarding." PHOTO BY YOLANDA C. JONES The LiFe oF a "CounTry DoCTor" "It's one of the few professions that allows you to get into people's lives. Patients really appreciate the care I give, and they know I'm trying to do my best for them. It's really rewarding." 15 Vitals Spring 2016

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