Rural track program – Colville, WA

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 Rural Training Track remains the longest running RTT in the United States. We appreciate and enjoy our close working relationship with Providence Family Medicine Spokane, and our affiliation with the WWAMI program of the University of Washington School of Medicine. In 2016 for the first time we expanded the program to begin matching two residents each year, so by the summer of 2018 we will have our full complement of 6 residents – 2 in Spokane doing their internships, and 4 in Colville at any given time.

Unique Features

  • Provides a unique opportunity for physicians in training to immerse themselves in rural medicine and to experience rural living as an integral member of the community
  • Prepares new physicians to confidently practice the full spectrum of Family Medicine, ready to go out and live their dreams
  • Of the 27 Family Physicians who have graduated from the Colville RTT, more than 80% have stayed in rural medicine, and about 1/3 have remained in or near Colville
  • Many of our graduates are also doing upper and lower endoscopy as part of their full-spectrum family medicine practice
  • Program also includes robust training in inpatient, emergency and community medicine, and its longitudinal design allows for each resident’s training to be customized to suit his or her needs and desires

Additional Information

Colville is a close-knit community located in forested and mountainous northeastern Washington. The area offers beautiful scenery, ample year-round recreational opportunities and a range of cultural opportunities. Spokane, our “big city,” is only 1 ½ hours away.

Location