The staffing of state medical organizations with medical personnel is one of the main factors in the implementation of the strategic goals of the state. The relevance of studying the attractiveness of public health care in rural areas and small towns for medical university students is due to the need to take preventive measures to increase the interest of future doctors in working in these areas. Purpose of the study is to develop proposals to increase the interest of future doctors in working in rural areas and small towns. Materials and methods. 529 students of Tyumen Medical University participated in the sociological study. The survey questions are aimed at identifying intentions for the future place of residence, the significance of motivating factors and measures of social support for medical workers in rural areas and small towns that can influence the employment decisions. Results. The priority for 9 out of 10 respondents is career. More than a third of respondents want to live in cities with more than a million inhabitants and about 40% – in the largest city up to 1 million people. Four out of five target students do not plan to continue working in the same locality after fulfilling their obligations to the employer. Findings. The risk of staffing in medical organizations located in some rural areas and small towns of the Tyumen region have been identified. The proposed initiatives can be taken into account by authorities and heads of medical organizations when making management decisions and help improve staffing levels in medical organizations in rural areas, small and medium-sized cities.