Georgia Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance Program (PRAA)

404.232.7972
GBHCW@dch.ga.gov

The Georgia Physicians for Rural Areas Assistance Program pays medical education student loan debt for physicians who agree to practice medicine in medically underserved, rural areas of Georgia for period of 12 months up to 4 years.

The service contract requires a commitment to practice as a physician for a minimum of 40 total hours per week, with at least 32 hours of clinical or direct patient care, in a Georgia county with a population of 50,000 or less. The practice time requirement can be split between two or more counties as long as none of the practice location counties exceeds a population limit of 50,000.

The physician must practice at an eligible employer, which may include a hospital, group practice, community health center, or other healthcare organization. The physician must participate in the Medicaid program, must agree to accept new patients insured by Medicaid, and actively treat Medicaid patients.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Be a citizen or national of the United States, and a resident of the state of Georgia
• Have satisfied all requirements for unrestricted medical licensure by the Georgia Composite Medical Board
• Be a final-year resident/fellow or a graduate of an accredited graduate medical education program located in the United States
• Hold a Medicaid provider number in Georgia and actively treat Medicaid patients

Priority is given to applicants in the following primary care/core specialties:

• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Pediatrics
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Emergency medicine
• Cardiology
• Psychiatry

All other specialties will be considered.

Up to $25,000 per year. Participants may reapply for additional funding for a maximum of 4 years up to $100,000.

A link to the online application is available on the program website.