What is a Rural Program?
A rural residency program is an accredited program in health professions education and training in which trainees spend the majority of their time training (more than 50%) in a rural place. For a more complete description and an article about rural residency program definitions, a Proposed Nomenclature (also referenced below). A rural program in medical school is an organized and deliberate medical school strategy to produce physicians to rural practice and is described in an article in the Journal of Rural Health, Pipelines to Pathways (also referenced below).
For a current listing of the growing community of practice in rural medical education download the Rural CoP Directory 10-2020. There are currently:
- Nine (9) schools of medicine that are located in a rural community
- Forty-two (42) medical schools with a rural program for a select number of students.
- Ninety-nine (99) active rural residencies in Family Medicine
- Sixteen (19) active rural residencies in Internal Medicine, and a lesser number of rural programs in other specialties (see Rural Programs map)
For a map of program participants in The RTT Collaborative, see below. For a map of all the rural residencies in the United States click here. [Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and General Surgery]
Rural Recognition Program
Aware of the need to highlight and expand the visibility of the rural physician training community and wishing to provide students with information relevant to their training for rural practice, the RTT Collaborative Board has chosen to recognize in a special way both rurally-located and rurally-focused programs in any specialty who have a history of placing graduates in rural community practice. Any program can be recognized for the percentage of graduates, on a 3-year rolling average, who have established an initial place of practice in a rural community and/or are in rural practice 3 years following graduation. Programs are listed if this percentage is >/= to 35% in the rolling three years ending in the year prior to recognition or if there were greater than 3 graduates per year in that same time-frame. Programs may follow these links for more information and a Program Recognition Workbook 2020 that can be submitted to longenec@ohio.edu for recognition. Applications for the 2020 list were due July 6, 2019, and are now closed, but will open again next May.
Click Here for the 2020 list.
What is the RTT Collaborative?
The RTT Collaborative is a cooperative of rurally focused health professions education and training programs from around the United States. This includes both undergraduate and graduate medical education programs and is beginning to expand to include other health professions. Although not all programs are rurally located or meet the definition outlined above, they are all invested in producing health professionals to rural practice!
For a listing of participating programs as of July 2020 with hyperlinks,
Listing-of-Participating-Programs-7-2020.pdf (246 KB pdf)
Longenecker R. Rural Medical Education Programs: A Proposed Nomenclature. Journal of Graduate Medical Education June 2017;9(3):283-286. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-16-00550.1
Longenecker, R.L., Andrilla, C.H.A., Jopson, A.D., Evans, D.V., Schmitz, D., Larson, E.H. and Patterson, D.G. (2021), Pipelines to Pathways: Medical School Commitment to Producing a Rural Workforce. The Journal of Rural Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12542
Map of Participating Programs
Indiana Regional Medical Center Family Medicine Residency
835 Hospital Road
Our non-profit, independent community hospital, Indiana Regional Medical Center (IRMC) is a place where physicians truly make a difference. Physicians play key roles in the leadership structure at IRMC. Learners ...
UAMS Northwest RTT Family Medicine Residency Program
207 Carter Street
The proposed 4/4/4 program will be a 1:2 model, with PGY1 curriculum integrated with the long-standing “urban” UAMS NW FM residency and PGY2/PGY3 curriculum to be delivered in rural sites ...
East Tennessee State University, Bristol Family Medicine
208 Medical Park Blvd.
East Tennessee State University and the Bristol program are developing an RTT in Greenville and potentially other rural locations. The urban Bristol program is located in Northeast Tennessee, in an ...
Northern Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program RTT
194 East Main Street
Northern Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program RTT is a Rural family medicine residency program in development, anticipated date of recruitment is summer 2022, located in beautiful Fort Kent, ...
University of Nebraska Medical Center Rural Training Track
42nd & Emile, 983075 Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Nebraska RTT is a program conceived and developed by the Department of Family Medicine. Based on the concept that residents tend to practice within 100 miles of ...
Lehigh Valley Health Network – Schuylkill Family Medicine Rural Residency Program
100 Schuylkill Medical Plaza
The LVHN-Schuylkill Family Medicine Residency will provide comprehensive training in partnership with the community to ensure that graduates lead patient-centered, evidence-informed care teams while remaining resilient lifelong learners who find joy ...
McLeod Regional Medical Center (Rural) Program – Cheraw
710 Chesterfield Hwy
The McLeod Family Medicine Rural Residency has already implemented with 2 PGY1, 1 PGY2 and 1 PGY2 residents in July 2020 and will be looking to recruit its first full ...
Montana Family Medicine Residency
123 S. 27th Street
Montana Family Medicine Residency’s mission is to develop, empower, and educate the next generation of full spectrum Family Physicians who provide excellent care for Montana with an emphasis on vulnerable ...
Madison Rexburg Rural Training Track
21 Winn Drive, Rexburg, ID 83440
This 1-2 Rural Training Track is an innovative and quality focused residency which identifies and addresses the needs of the rural community and aligns these with the needs of the ...
Samaritan Family Medicine Residency, Newport
930 SW Abbey Street
Samaritan Coastal will be a 1-2 Rural Training Track affiliated with Samaritan Family Medicine Residency in Corvallis, OR. Training will take place in a rural critical access hospital in the ...
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program
155 Glasson Way
The Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program (SNMH FMRP) will have residents complete their intern year at Methodist Hospital and Mercy Family Medicinal Clinic in Sacramento. In PGY2 ...
University of Cincinnati Area Health Education Center
1981 James Sauls Sr. Drive
The University of Cincinnati AHEC Rural Health Track is for current health professions students interested in positioning themselves to join a well-prepared, diverse and culturally competent primary care workforce.
The rural ...
Montana WWAMI TRUST Program
937 Highland Blvd.
The Montana Targeted Rural and Underserved Track (TRUST) is an optional University of Washington School of Medicine Program. TRUST provides an exceptional educational experience to prepare University of Washington WWAMI ...
Thermopolis Wyoming Rural Training Track
120 North C Avenue
An innovative program located in a truly rural/frontier environment set to immerse and train residents in a full spectrum family medicine experience. With a robust 1st year at the University ...
McLeod Regional Medical Center (Rural) Program – Manning
555 E. Cheves Street
The McLeod Family Medicine Rural Residency has already implemented with 2 PGY1, 1 PGY2 and 1 PGY2 residents in July 2020 and will be looking to recruit its first full ...
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Regional Centers (Magnolia) Rural Program
1617 N. Washington
Unopposed, small program with a total of 9 Family Medicine residents (3-3-3) lends itself to quality one-one-one interaction with faculty and provides plenty of hands-on learning experiences. Family Medicine Clinic ...
Providence St. Peter-Summit Pacific Rural Family Medicine program
600 E. Main Street
Traditional 1:2 rural program integrated with Providence St. Peter Family Medicine Residency program in Olympia, WA which offers hands-on training across the patient care delivery spectrum. Educational experiences span the ...
Wright Rural Medical Scholars Program
7600 Lake Campus Drive
The Wright Rural Medical Scholars (WRMS) program includes a track for students who want an extensive rural experience that spans their medical education and stand alone experience for students who ...
University Of Missouri Family Medicine Residency Rural Track at Bothwell Regional Health Center
601 E. 14th Street, Sedalia, MO
The well-established family medicine residency program at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO,will expand their program to create a rural track; the residents will spend the 2nd and 3rd ...
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine Rural Initiative
7000 Chad Colley Blvd., Fort Smith, AR 72906
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine Elko Rural Residency Training Site
701 Walnut Street, Elko, NV 89801
The Elko Rural Residency Training Site is an additional training site of the University of Nevada, School of Medicine, Reno’s Residency Program. It has the same ACGME number as the ...
Roseburg Family Medicine Residency
150 NE Kenneth Ford Drive
Newly accredited, unopposed, 8/8/8 residency program embedded in an innovative Patient-Centered Primary Care Home (PCPCH) practice and affiliated with a full-service regional medical center in Roseburg, Oregon. Our mission is ...
St. Luke’s University Health Network
34 S. Railroad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252
St. Luke’s University Medical Center, in Bethlehem, PA, was accreditation as a rural program in 2018 based in Warren, NJ (the urban site for PGY1) and Tamaqua, PA (the rural ...
East Carolina University
Brody School of Medicine at Vidant Medical Center, 2100 Stantonburg Road, Greenville, NC 27834
East Carolina University and Vidant Medical Center are exploring the development of a consortium of rural programs in eastern North Carolina.
St. Claire Medical Center
316 W. Second Street, Suite 203, Morehead, KY 40351
Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Family Medicine Residency Program
495E East Perkins Street, Ukiah CA 95469
Integrated RTT
An “unopposed” (stand alone) Family Medicine Residency Program. Program focusses on full scope rural family medicine, based at the University of CA Davis for PGY1 and our sole ...
The University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson (South Campus) Family Medicine Residency
2800 E. Ajo Way, Room 3006
Developing Rural Program
UACOM-SC FMR offers the best of many worlds. We serve the urban underserved in an academic hospital with the feel of a small community hospital. Required rural ...
Providence Holy Family Hospital Family Medicine Residency Rural Training Track Pullman WA
835 Southeast Bishop Blvd., Pullman, WA 99163
Currently seeking ACGME accreditation, anticipate having first residents begin in Spokane WA. Eight residents will match to Spokane and spend R1 year in urban setting. R2/R3 years spent in rural ...
Swedish Port Angeles RTT
240 W Front St., Port Angeles, WA 98362
RTT Program where the 1st year is spent in Seattle at the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency. The second and third years are located in Port Angeles at the ...
Central Washington Family Medicine Residency Program Ellensburg Rural Site
521 East Mountain View Avenue, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Central Washington Family Medicine Residency Program Ellensburg Rural Track (CWFMR-E) is a 3-year family medicine program sponsored by Community Health of Central Washington and affiliated with the University of Washington ...
University of Washington School of Medicine Chelan Rural Training Program
331 NE Thornton Place Seattle, WA 98125
1:2 rural training program based out of the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency. This unique program offers the best of both worlds as it combines the benefits of a ...
St Peter Family Medicine Chehalis Rural Training Program
931 S. Market Blvd. Chehalis, WA 98532
Our residency is a high functioning Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), where you work with a tight knit team including family medicine faculty, medical assistants, a triage nurse, a nurse ...
Aurora Lakeland RTT Family Medicine Residency
W3985 County Rd NN, Elkhorn, WI 53121
Our program is in the 1-2 format, with PGY1 in Milwaukee with the Aurora Family Medicine Residency, and PGY2/3 in Elkhorn Wisconsin. The Elkhorn/Lakeland area is a unique blend of ...
Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program
2669 N. Scenic Drive, Alamogordo, NM 88310
GCRMC is preparing to meet the needs of our community and of nation-wide medical education programs by establishing a Family Medicine Residency Program. We plan to offer residents experience in ...
Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency
521 E. Sioux Ave., Pierre, SD 57501
The Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency is devoted to providing an excellent education that prepares physicians for practice in South Dakota and other areas of the mostly rural upper Midwest. ...
University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency – Morgan County Rural Training Track
729 E. Railroad Ave., Fort Morgan, CO 80701
Morgan County RTT is a 1-2 program with the first year of training based at the University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency in Denver. The second and third years are ...
HealthPartners Western Wisconsin Rural Family Medicine Residency
535 Hospital Road
The new 1-2 rural training track provides a unique real practice environment. The first year will be spent at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN where we have provided ...
University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler Rural Family Medicine Residency – Pittsburg
2701 US Highway 271 N, Pitttsburg, TX 75686
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler Rural Family Medicine Residency – Pittsburg program is a rural training track that is independently accredited by the Accreditation Council on ...
UNTHSC TCOM Rural Medical Education Program
3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107
The ROME Program at UNTHSC is an innovative educational program designed to prepare students for life and practice in a rural or underserved community. This rural medicine curriculum includes academic ...
University of Wisconsin Baraboo Rural Training Track Family Medicine Residency Program
1700 Tuttle St. Baraboo, WI 53913
Located just 45 minutes north of Madison, the Baraboo RTT Family Medicine Residency Program trains residents in a rural setting, providing them with a lifestyle that truly mimics private practice ...
UND Minot – CHI St. Alexius Health – Williston Medical Center/Rural Residency
1201 11th Avenue SW, Williston, ND 58701
The program emphasizes rural family medicine training in the setting where it is practiced. Residents enjoy a well-rounded first year in Minot, N.D., a small city of 47,000 and the ...
UND Bismarck-Center for Family Medicine-Hettinger RTT
West River Health Regional Medical Center, 1000 Highway 12, Hettinger, ND 58639
The first year of residency is done in Bismarck at the core program. The last two years are done at the rural site in Hettinger. The core program has a ...
Swift River Rural Training Track
430 Franklin St. Rumford, ME 04276
At the Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency program, the only rural track in New England, students train at the Central Maine Medical Center, a community teaching hospital, for ...
Southern Colorado Family Medicine Alamosa Rural Training Track
1710 First St. Alamosa, CO 81101
The residents first year of training will take place in Pueblo Colorado, as part of a 40 year old family medicine training program with strengths in procedural training, to include ...
Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program
1901 Redrock Dr. Gallup, NM 87301
RMCHCS is a private non-profit hospital located in Gallup, the county seat of McKinley County, in Northwest New Mexico. Our residency program is designed to train full-spectrum family medicine doctors ...
Providence Oregon Family Medicine Hood River Rural Training Program
810 12th Street, Hood River, Oregon 97031
We are an innovative Family Medicine Rural Training Program located in beautiful Hood River, Oregon. We are a multidisciplinary team of Physicians, Nurses, Hospital and Clinic staff, administrative professionals and ...
Oregon Health & Science University – Cascades East Family Medicine Residency
2801 Daggett Avenue, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601
Cascades East is a rurally-based three year residency program located in Klamath Falls, Oregon. It is university-administered through Oregon Health & Science University and community-based at Sky Lakes Medical Center ...
Ohio University Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways Program (RUSP)
1 Ohio University Irvine Hall 126, Athens, OH 45701
The Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways (RUSP) program helps prepare medical students to practice in underserved areas, both urban and rural. Through classroom preparation, rural and urban clinical experiences, and ...
North Colorado Medical Center – Wray Rural Training Track
1017 West 7th St. Wray, CO 80758
The faculty of the Wray RTT believe that the best training to become a rural family physician is to BE a rural family physician. Following a robust 15 months education ...
North Colorado Medical Center – Sterling Rural Training Track
615 Fairhurst Street Sterling, CO 80751
Following a robust first year with NCFM in Greeley, resident physicians move 100 miles northeast to Sterling, a community of 14,000, for years 2 and 3. An entirely longitudinal curricular ...
Wayne County Hospital RESST (Rural Expanded Surgical Skills Track) Fellowship
417 South East Street, Corydon, Iowa 50060
This is a 4th year of fellowship training offered by a Critical Access Hospital. The fellowship will provide procedural training in C-section, D & C, postpartum tubal ligation, upper and ...
Hidalgo Medical Services Family Medicine Residency Program
1007 Pope Street, Silver City, NM 88061
The HMS Family Medicine Residency Program seeks to train the next generation of Family Medicine primary care physicians in a rural community health center environment, and prepare them to practice ...
Family Medicine Rural Training Track – Colville
1200 E. Columbia, Colville, WA 99114
It has been our privilege at Providence Northeast Washington Medical Group to have established the first Family Practice Rural Training Track site in the United States in 1986. The Colville ...
Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana – Kalispell
401 W. Railroad St. Missoula, MT 59802
The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana (FMRWM) is a 3-year family medicine program sponsored by The University of Montana and affiliated with the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency ...
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, Inc., Magic Valley RTT
709 North Lincoln Jerome, ID 83338
South Central Idaho, commonly known as the “Magic Valley” due to the phenomenal growth of crops, is now also “magic” due to the medical community and the extremely broad training ...
Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, Inc., Caldwell RTT
315 E. Elm St. , Suite 200 Caldwell, ID 83605
Welcome to the Caldwell Rural Training Track (RTT) Family Medicine Residency. The RTT is a branch of the main Family Medicine Residency of Idaho Program that is designed especially for ...
Cahaba Family Medicine Residency
405 Belcher St., Centreville, AL 35042
Cahaba Family Medicine Residency is an unopposed, community-based family medicine training program dually accredited by both the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). ...