VERMILLION, S.D. (KSFY-TV) — Some students at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine are staying in rural communities to help staff hospitals and clinics during the coronavirus outbreak. Resources can be tight in rural settings, especially if healthcare workers or their family members become ill.

Medical students Carl Lang and Riley Schaap are currently volunteering in Winner. Lang tells KSFY-TV they are gaining valuable experience if a similar pandemic were to happen again. USD Dean of Rural Medicine, Susan Anderson, says hands-on experience with helping a community, local hospital and clinic deal with a pandemic is valuable preparation for the future.