Benefits of Telehealth In Rural Areas
Schools across the country benefit from using teletherapy and telehealth to ensure their students receive the services they need to succeed. However, rural communities and school districts can benefit in a unique way because it allows access to a wider range of skilled professionals to meet their needs and so much more! Learn more about telehealth in rural areas and how your school can benefit in this blog article!
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is the provision of healthcare or therapy services done remotely using telecommunication technology. Telehealth allows you to make a telehealth appointment with a provider that works within your schedule and meets your specific healthcare or therapy needs from the comfort of your home or school. Teaching and therapy can be provided in a telehealth virtual environment while students attend school. Teletherapy research shows us that students can learn and make progress in the virtual environment in the same ways and at the same rate as they do with in-person therapy services. VocoVision offers a variety of telehealth practitioners across multiple disciplines to meet the needs of every student in the school.
Why Is Telehealth Important?
In the past few years, telehealth therapy has opened the doors for many schools and students as technology has allowed students access to teachers and therapists across the country. Teletherapy for kids has allowed students in rural areas to access specialized teachers and therapists in various parts of the country to allow for specific skills to be targeted and achieved. Teletherapy for schools has allowed districts to provide direct instruction for students and support to staff members in a virtual environment.
How Does Telehealth Work?
Telehealth services are set up so that students in a school environment can access teachers and therapists anywhere in the country. The use of telehealth in rural areas greatly expands access to quality service providers for students. VocoVision helps connect schools with appropriate certified therapists and teachers that can meet the specific needs of their individual students. The telepractitioner sets up virtual meetings to conduct lessons and therapy sessions with the student based upon the student’s IEP goals and the school’s schedule. Telehealth in schools has allowed many rural districts access to exceptional telepractice providers to ensure students are getting adequate services. Students access their telepractitioner via video conferencing in a virtual environment.
Benefits of Telehealth in Rural Areas
Rural areas have a hard time finding school staff for support services and specialized teaching services due to their location. There are many benefits to telehealth, especially for rural schools, because a virtual service delivery model brings the therapists and teachers to schools where they may not otherwise have access to quality services. This takes away the problems of location and the need for full-time employment positions. Telepractitioners can work part-time to meet the needs of the students if that is all the district requires to meet IEP services minutes.
Consistency and Flexibility
Telehealth allows for students to be seen when it works into their school schedule as well as the consistency of seeing a tele practitioner regularly. The student’s telehealth appointments are scheduled within their daily school routine so that they are seen regularly and provided the necessary support to ensure they are learning throughout their day. Telehealth services can be conducted in the brick-and-mortar school location as well as the virtual school setting.
Appointments
Telehealth sessions, also known as appointments, can be scheduled around the student’s classroom schedule as well as the parent’s schedules to allow for flexibility. Telehealth sessions can be easily changed and rescheduled to accommodate for days off, daily schedule changes, and unplanned events. The tele practitioner can easily change sessions around since they are not commuting to the school location.
More Options
Telehealth allows for more options when it comes to finding therapists and teachers that can meet the specific needs of each student. Schools can now access telepractitioners across the country to find the best options to fill their specific position needs. This could mean part-time vs full-time employment. This may mean finding the right teacher with specific experience with a select group of students or a therapist with a specific educational background. Schools can now choose the best candidate for the open position vs choosing the only candidate that lives in the area or not having any candidate at all.
Saves Time
Telehealth saves time for the student, staff and the tele practitioner. The student does not have to travel to a different location to receive services. The tele practitioner does not have to travel to the school to provide services. The tele practitioner can easily move from one student session to the next with the click of a button vs having to travel throughout a building or a district to access each student. Students across the district can be seen in less time and in a more effective manner with telehealth services as an option.
Get Telehealth Services For Your School
Telehealth services have allowed all school districts access to therapists and teachers via the virtual environment. For rural schools, telehealth has made connecting students with therapists and teachers possible. Now all schools in any location have access to a variety of therapists or teachers that can meet each individual student’s needs. VocoVision makes the telehealth services option a reality for schools, students, and tele practitioners everywhere.
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