Rural Internal Medicine Residencies as Workforce Pipelines

Course Overview

This webinar presents the compiled experience of 4 new and emerging rural Internal Medicine Residency Programs along the developmental spectrum, and the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD) and the RRPD Technical Assistance Center (RRPD-TAC, funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). We aim to promote and assist development of rural residency programs or Rural Training Tracks (RTT) in Internal Medicine, as well as Family Medicine, Psychiatry, General Surgery, and OBGYN. Rural physician practice and training is a widening chasm in GME and healthcare. 20% of our population is rural, cared for by 9% of physicians-mostly family doctors. Internal medicine GME training follows a pattern of what has been termed structural urbanism, a form of structural bias. Internal medicine is increasingly characterized by an urban focus that may predispose trainees for urban practice, potentially worsening rural workforce gaps and health outcomes General Internists wishing to practice rurally endure additional barriers to appropriate training and infrastructure. Rural residents are older, poorer, less educated, and have more multiple chronic diseases than urban dwellers. They are also often from historically disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, such as Native Americans, Latinx, and African Americans. Closing this chasm requires a reliable physician workforce pipeline, and a context-specific care model. Physicians that train in rural communities are far more likely to remain there to practice. We will facilitate exploration of assets and barriers to establishing and sustaining rural Internal Medicine Residency

Speakers

• Roger W. Bush, MD MACP
• Joseph G. Weigel, MD
• Matthew L. Tobey, MD
• Amanda Finley, DO, FACOI, FACP