Education and Training of the Rural Healthcare Workforce – Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas and provide lessons others have learned. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Other Project Examples

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Rural Fellowship

Updated/reviewed August 2024

• 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, 94% are still practicing in rural areas; 83% are still practicing in rural western North Carolina.

COSSA Advanced EMT Class

Added July 2024

• Need: To increase the number of Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (Advanced EMTs) in rural Idaho and neighboring states.
• Intervention: An Advanced EMT class offered to students at five rural high schools, the first of its kind in the country.
• Results: Two students graduated from the class in its first year, with at least two more expected to enroll in the 2024-25 school year.

Montevideo Medical Academy

Added July 2024

• Need: To increase the future healthcare workforce in rural Minnesota.
• Intervention: Montevideo Medical Academy helps students explore healthcare career options and gain college credit.
• Results: So far, 25 students in the program have attained 170 college credits, 55 certifications, and 304 hours of clinical experience.

Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE)

Updated/reviewed June 2024

• Need: Address oral health disparities in Washington's rural communities.
• Intervention: The University of Washington School of Dentistry (UWSOD) developed the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program to increase the number of dentists prepared for the various languages and custom-specific attitudes concerning oral health in addition to the clinical competence required to practice in rural areas.
• Results: Since its start in 2009 and as of 2024, nearly 100 dentists have completed the program with over 81% practicing in rural communities.

Hawai'i Island Family Medicine Residency

Updated/reviewed January 2024

• Need: Hawai'i is experiencing a severe shortage of family medicine physicians.
• Intervention: The Hawai'i Island Family Medicine Residency (HIFMR) program uses an interprofessional team-based approach so residents learn how to care for many types of patients in different healthcare settings.
• Results: Since 2017, HIFMR has graduated a class of 3 to 6 Board-certified family medicine physicians annually. Most graduates have remained in the state to practice medicine; those who have left have entered fellowship programs and plan to return to Hawai'i Island to practice.

Premera Rural Nursing Health Initiative at the University of Washington

Added January 2024

• Need: To create rural clinical placement and postgraduate fellowship opportunities for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students and recent Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) graduates in Washington.
• Intervention: The Rural Nursing Health Initiative (RNHI), a program out of the University of Washington School of Nursing that created clinical placement opportunities for DNP students and a postgraduate fellowship program for ARNP graduates.
• Results: Rural clinical stipends have been awarded to 80 DNP students, and 12 ARNPs completed rural fellowships between 2021 and 2023.

Old Dominion University's Student-Run Mobile Health Clinic

Added November 2023

• Need: To fill gaps in care for rural communities in southeastern Virginia while providing clinical placement opportunities for nursing students.
• Intervention: A free mobile health clinic staffed by Old Dominion University nursing students that visits rural schools and other community centers.
• Results: Hundreds of students have gained hands-on rural experience working in the clinic since its launch.

Rural Experiences for Health Professions Students (REHPS)

Updated/reviewed July 2023

• Need: An ongoing shortage of healthcare providers in rural areas of South Dakota
• Intervention: A 4-week summer program placing health professions students in rural communities.
• Results: Of graduating participants, 71% practice in South Dakota with 30% of those graduates practicing in rural communities with populations fewer than 10,000, or veteran facilities.

FORWARD NM Pathways to Health Careers

Updated/reviewed November 2022

• Need: New Mexico's southwestern counties of Hidalgo, Catron, Luna, and Grant have experienced chronic shortages of primary care providers. New Mexico has the oldest physician population in the country.
• Intervention: A comprehensive workforce pipeline program, including programming for middle and high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, primary care program students, and medical and dental residents.
• Results: The program reaches over 1,000 school-aged students throughout the service areas and provides support for students and medical residents in a variety of healthcare-related programs for rural rotation experiences. FORWARD NM received its designation as an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in 2012.

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