Research Alert: March 15, 2016

Outcomes of Rural-Centric Residency Training to Prepare Family Medicine Physicians for Rural Practice

Little is known about how well various types of rural-centric family medicine residency training programs produce physicians for rural practice. This study examined program content and training locations as well as rural and urban practice outcomes for graduates of rural-centric family medicine residency training programs. Though numerous family medicine residencies seek to produce rural physicians, most programs required fewer than eight weeks of rural training. Among those with eight or more weeks of rural training, no single program characteristic or model offered sustained advantages over any other type in producing high yields to rural practice.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guides: Education and Training of the Rural Healthcare Workforce, Healthcare Access, Healthcare Workforce, Recruitment and Retention for Rural Health Facilities, Rural Health Policy