Rural Project Examples Addressing Health workforce education and training

Thomas Jefferson University's Physician Shortage Area Program
Added March 2023

Need: More rural doctors were needed in Pennsylvania, where nearly half of the state's physicians practice in just three large metropolitan counties.
Intervention: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University established the Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) in 1974 to recruit and support students who are from rural backgrounds and who wish to practice in rural communities.
Results: Approximately 80% of PSAP alumni have remained in rural family medicine for at least 20 to 25 years after graduation.

MU AHEC Summer Community Program
Updated/reviewed September 2023

Need: Lack of healthcare providers, specifically physicians, in rural Missouri.
Intervention: Rising second-year medical students at University of Missouri's School of Medicine are given the opportunity to participate in a clinical program in a rural community setting.
Results: Almost half of the participants from 1996-2010 chose to practice in rural locations upon graduation.

Wyoming Trauma Telehealth Treatment Clinic
Updated/reviewed February 2023

Need: To provide psychotherapy to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Intervention: University of Wyoming psychology doctoral students provide psychotherapy via videoconferencing to crisis center clients in two rural locations.
Results: Clients, student therapists, and crisis center staff were satisfied with the quality of services, and clients reported reduced symptoms of depression and PTSD.

OHSU Rural Surgery Training
Updated/reviewed September 2022

Need: General surgeons are needed in rural communities.
Intervention: Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is sending residents to complete a general surgery rotation in rural southern Oregon.
Results: 37% of the graduates of the rural residency program are now practicing in a rural setting. The residents remain more likely than other OHSU residents to enter general surgery practice and to serve in a community of fewer than 50,000 people.

Livingston County Help For Seniors
Updated/reviewed May 2020

Need: Meeting the health needs of geriatric patients in rural Livingston County, New York.
Intervention: The Help for Seniors program was developed and using its 'vodcasts,' local EMTs were trained in geriatric screening methods and health needs treatment.
Results: In addition to developing a successful model for educating EMS personnel, the program screened over 1200 individuals and identified various risks among the geriatric population.

TUSM-MMC Program Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship
Updated/reviewed April 2023

Need: To fill vacant medical positions in Maine's rural medical facilities.
Intervention: The Tufts Maine Track LIC program offers clerkships in rural medical facilities, exposing medical school students to the positives and possibilities that rural practices have to offer.
Results: The program has seen an increase in students' interest in practicing in rural Maine. The majority of participants have pursued medical careers in one of the six core specialties studied during their clerkship.

EMS Live@Nite
Updated/reviewed September 2023

Need: Distance, time, and cost make it difficult for EMS volunteers to attend continuing education and maintain certification.
Intervention: Providence Health Training delivers free online training to rural EMS providers via video teleconferencing.
Results: The EMS Live@Nite program provides free, monthly training to rural EMS providers in the northwestern part of the United States. The program is available through live video conferencing from certified locations in rural communities.

University of Missouri School of Medicine Rural Track Elective Program Opportunities
Updated/reviewed September 2023

Need: Increase number of medical providers in rural Missouri.
Intervention: Grant-supported expansion of the Rural Track Training sites with additional medical student and resident rural curriculum offerings.
Results: Since the 2016-2017 academic year, 50 medical students have rotated at the training sites supported by this grant and more than 350 medical students and residents have attended the focused lecture series.

Implementation of a Nursing Veterans' Initiative to Transform Education (INVITE)
Updated/reviewed August 2023

Need: To support rural veterans pursuing a career in nursing.
Intervention: The INVITE program improved the curriculum and reworked admission requirements to better support veteran students' experiences in the College of St. Scholastica undergraduate nursing program.
Results: The number of veterans pursuing nursing has more than doubled since program implementation, and all students have reported an increased interest in serving rural communities.

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Rural Fellowship
Added August 2023

Need: To increase recruitment and retention of health professionals in rural western North Carolina.
Intervention: The Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Rural Fellowship offers mentorship, education, research support, and community-building opportunities for local providers in their first year of practice.
Results: Of the 30 fellows who have completed the program since 2017, 97% are still practicing in rural areas; 87% are still practicing in rural western North Carolina.

Rural Project Examples: Health workforce education and training