Rural Medical Education Program Research Articles

Key themes of community-oriented primary care projects from a longitudinal, rural interprofessional health professions curriculum (1997–2023)

BackgroundThe Community Oriented Primary Care Project Model (COPC) has been well studied globally as well as in the United States as a way to provide both community-centered primary care and to engage in community based research. Rural trainees through the University of Illinois College of Medicine’s Rural Medical Education Program (RMED) and Rural Pharmacy Education Program (RPHARM) students through the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy have participated in a COPC project as a capstone to a four month longitudinal, immersive community-based experience in a rural primary care setting. The purpose of this study was to assess the type of projects implemented through a rural health professions curriculum over a 30 year project period. .MethodsA research team reviewed projects on 30 elements; including topic and demographics. Patterns in COPC topics and rurality of the location in which the COPC project were also examined by using 2021 U.S. Census Bureau population data and Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Code.ResultsCOPC projects were categorized into 31 main topic areas with mental health being the most prevalent topic area covered by projects (n = 67, 15.7%) followed by 43 (10.1%) projects that focused on nutrition/exercise, and 41 (9.6%) focused on substance use (presented as a separate category from mental health in this analysis).ConclusionsFor three decades, COPC themes reflect priority health issues in rural communities while providing a scholarly activity for health profession student trainees Past projects have also been implemented in highly rural areas where research is not often conducted. The COPC research process can be easily replicated in other trainee models such as to fulfill ACGME requirements of scholarly activity and can provide a template for trainees of this model to implement community-engaged research in the future.

Development of a hybrid point-of-care ultrasound curriculum for first year medical students in a rural medical education program: a pilot study

BackgroundThe field of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has advanced in recent decades due to the benefits it holds for medical providers. However, aspiring POCUS practitioners require adequate training. Unfortunately, there remains a paucity of resources to deliver this training, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Despite these barriers, calls for POCUS training in undergraduate medical education are growing, and many medical schools now deliver some form of POCUS education. Our program lacked POCUS training; therefore, we developed and implemented a POCUS curriculum for our first-year medical students.MethodsWe developed a POCUS curriculum for first year medical students in a rural medically underserved region of the United States. To evaluate our course, we measured learning outcomes, self-reported confidence in a variety of POCUS domains, and gathered feedback on the course with a multi-modal approach: an original written pre- and post-test, survey tool, and semi-structured interview protocol, respectively.ResultsStudent (n=24) knowledge of POCUS significantly increased (pre-test average score = 55%, post-test average score = 79%, P<0.0001), and the course was well received based on student survey and interview feedback. In addition, students reported increased confidence toward a variety of knowledge and proficiency domains in POCUS use and their future clinical education and practice.ConclusionsDespite a lack of consensus in POCUS education, existing literature describes many curricular designs across institutions. We leveraged a combination of student initiatives, online resources, remote collaborations, local volunteers, and faculty development to bring POCUS to our institution in a rural and medically underserved region. Moreover, we demonstrate positive learning and experiential outcomes that may translate to improved outcomes in students’ clinical education and practice. Further research is needed to evaluate the psychomotor skills, broader learning outcomes, and clinical performance of students who take part in our POCUS course.

Understanding medical students’ transformative experiences of early preclinical international rural placement over a 20-year period

IntroductionRural placements are an important component of rural medical education programs seeking to develop rural practice pathways for medical students. These placements are usually domestic, but James Cook University in Australia developed an international rural placement program in the first half of the medical course that was funded through bursaries. This study explores how the international rural placement helped to shape the lives (personal development and learning) of the participants, using Transformational Learning Theory as a framework for identifying and describing the transformational elements, process and impact of the program.MethodsSixty-five students received a bursary for an international rural placement between 2001–2019. All were contacted by email and invited to participate in a short survey and a follow-up interview. Fifteen participants agreed and twelve were able to participate in individual semi-structured interviews which were recorded, transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants reported that the bursary provided a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to “experience eye-opening and culturally rich difference”. Nonetheless, some elements of the placement experience presented disorientating dilemmas that triggered deep reflections and shifts in perceptions. The bursary recipients realised that “being open-minded” allowed them “enjoy good company”. They were also able to assume “outsider view which allowed reassessment of their own country” and the “isolation experiences gingered desire to right health wrongs”. The triggers and mental shifts had significant impact on the bursary recipients and fostered the development of “inspirational new horizons” based on an appreciation of the “value of rural practice” and “role-modelling for life-long learning.” These findings are consistent with Transformational Learning Theory.ConclusionParticipants in this study reported meaningful and strongly positive impacts from the experiences gained during an international rural clinical placement early in their course. They described transformative experiences which appear to contribute strongly to personal development. This finding supports maintaining opportunities for international experiences during rurally-oriented medical programs as these may impact longer term career choice.

Perceptions and Attitudes toward Community Health and Interprofessional Education in Students with and without an Additional Community Medicine-Focused Program.

The Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford campus, and part of the National Center for Rural Health Professions, strives to recruit students from rural areas, who, after completing residency, return to rural Illinois as primary care physicians. RMED students meet monthly to learn about the community and public health in rural communities. Furthermore, they complete a 16-week rural preceptorship during their fourth year. During the fourth year of medical school, all RMED students, as well as the students following the regular curriculum, are asked to complete a survey, related to the understanding of medical students' views of community and interprofessional education. We aimed to identify how the community-based curriculum affects the students' understanding and appreciation of community as they go into rural health practice. The results showed that students in the RMED Program are more aware of the community they are part of, as well as being more interested in becoming part of their community. RMED students reported a statistically significantly higher rating of feeling appreciated and accepted by their community and rated their confidence in their abilities in the community statistically significantly higher. Interestingly, RMED students were not more likely to be more familiar with several health professions and programs within their community, compared to non-RMED students. Results comparing self-rated capabilities for RMED students within the community both before and after adding components of an interprofessional education curriculum showed no statistically significant changes. These results support previous research, while also providing more support for the development of successful interprofessional education courses.

Expectations of rural community-based medical education: a case study from Thailand.

Thailand has recognised and sought to remedy rural medical workforce shortages. The Collaborative Project to Increase Production of Rural Doctors (CPIRD) has improved rural workforce recruitment through publicly funding medical school places for students with rural backgrounds. However, challenges in rural retention continue. CPIRD is seeking to develop a Thai rural community-based medical education (RCBME) program in the southern region of Thailand to improve preparation for rural practice and rural medical retention rates. Prospective stakeholder consultations will allow the understanding of expectations and concerns of stakeholders required for successful RCBME implementation. This study aims to explore stakeholders' expectations of the Southern Thai RCBME initiative. A qualitative case study comprised a purposive sample of students, clinical educators, policymakers, rural health professionals and local community stakeholders, all likely to be involved in a new RCBME program in Songkhla Province, Thailand. Individual semi-structured interviews were audiotaped, transcribed in Thai and coded using Worley's symbiosis framework. Following this, text and quotes used in the initial analysis were translated into English, discussed and reanalysed for emergent themes across the framework. A total of 21 participants contributed RCBME stakeholder perspectives. They demonstrated expectations and concerns in each of the relationship axes of the symbiosis model including the clinical, institutional, social and personal axes. Three major themes emerged from the data that integrated stakeholder perspectives on the implication of RCBME in Thailand. These themes were a dramatic shift in Thai medical education paradigm, seeing rural practice as a future career, and collaboration to improve education and health in rural services. This study comprehensively describes Thai stakeholder expectations of RCBME and demonstrates that, although some principles of RCBME are universal, context does influence the expectations and capacity of stakeholders to contribute to RCBME. Prospective formal stakeholder engagement is recommended to ensure successful implementation of new educational innovations.

Rural Medical Education Programs: A Proposed Nomenclature.

Rural Medical Education Programs: A Proposed Nomenclature.

Training Medical Students for Rural, Underserved Areas: A Rural Medical Education Program in California.

The Association of American Medical Colleges projects an increasing shortage of physicians in rural areas. Medical schools have developed specialty track programs to improve the recruitment and retention of physicians who can serve rural populations. One such program in California includes a variety of unique elements including outreach, admissions, rural clinical experiences, focused mentorship, scholarly and leadership opportunities, and engagement with rural communities. Preliminary outcomes demonstrate that this rural track program has achieved some success in the recruitment, retention, and training of students interested in future rural practice and in the placement of students in primary care residencies. Long-term outcomes, such as graduates entering rural practice, are still unknown, but will be monitored to assess the impact and sustainability of the rural program. This article illustrates the opportunities and challenges of training medical students for rural practice and provides lessons learned to inform newly-established and long standing rural medical education programs.

Agricultural health and medicine in rural medicine training: Evaluation of “Farm Days”

Introduction : Agricultural industries in Australia provide food, forestry and fibre self- sufficiency, as well as significant exports. They are among the most hazardous industries in Australia, primarily because of socio-economic factors, environmental hazards and limited healthcare access. Other relevant factors are the proximity of families to farming industry hazards and the age of the workforce. Agricultural health and medicine (AHM) is an integralpartoftheexpertiserequiredinruralmedicalpractice.Tothisend,theQueensland Rural Medical Education (QRME) program delivers AHM teaching for rurally-based graduate medical students and rural pathway postgraduate vocational trainees. Context: Themed rural and agricultural medicine seminars are delivered to all Griffith University medical students, with additional specific AHM teaching and research provided for students choosing the longitudinal rurally-based integrated clerkships during their third and fourth years. For rural pathway primary care vocational trainees, AHM is introduced and taught as a distinct topic in multiple modes, including discussions and instruction at a working farm. Farm visits have been developed and evaluated over a period of 5 years. Evaluation: Since 2011, 188 registrars and students have attended farms days, with 115 participants completing evaluations. Farm days were generally very well received, with participants reporting that the information provided was relevant and suitably presented, their learning needs were met and the activity was well-timed in the education programs. Conclusions : Within rural longitudinal integrated clerkships and rural pathways vocational training, it seems appropriate to deliver specific learning opportunities in agricultural health and medicine. The learning approaches described in this paper illustrate one way of addressing these needs and focus on the “farm day” as an exemplar. Exposure to real farming environments and the associated learning was valued by the majority of participants.

A Decade of Rural Physician Workforce Outcomes for the Rockford Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program, University of Illinois

To report on the retention and practice outcomes of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program and to examine distance from influential locations in relation to graduates' current practice location. The RMED Program recruits candidates from rural backgrounds, provides a supplemental curriculum addressing rural topics and experiences, and tracks graduates' practice location and specialty choice outcomes. Practice location and specialty were compared for 160 RMED graduates and 2,663 non-RMED graduates, from 1997 to 2007. Rural status was based on rural-urban commuting codes. Comparisons were made using cross-tabulation with calculation of chi-square or odds ratios to assess differences. RMED graduates were 14.4 times more likely than non-RMED graduates to choose family medicine; 6.7 times more likely to choose a primary care practice specialty; 17.2 times more likely to be currently practicing in a rural location; and 12.8 times more likely to be currently practicing in a primary care shortage zip code. Analysis of current RMED graduates' practice locations indicates that 41.9% were within 90 miles of their fourth-year preceptorship community. Among RMED graduates practicing in Illinois, 62.1% and 73.3% were located within 60 and 90 miles, respectively, of their hometown. Recruitment of students combined with a rural-focused curriculum yielded positive outcomes related to primary care practice and decisions regarding practice location. RMED graduates were considerably more likely than non-RMED graduates to choose family medicine, choose a primary care specialty, and be currently practicing in a rural location.

Medical School Rural Programs

Comprehensive medical school rural programs (RPs) have made demonstrable contributions to the rural physician workforce, but their relative impact is uncertain. This study compares rural primary care practice outcomes for RP graduates within relevant states with those of international medical graduates (IMGs), also seen as ameliorating rural physician shortages. Using data from the 2010 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, the authors identified all 1,757 graduates from three RPs (Jefferson Medical College's Physician Shortage Area Program; University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth; University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford's Rural Medical Education Program) practicing in their respective states, and all 6,474 IMGs practicing in the same states and graduating the same years. The relative likelihoods of RP graduates versus IMGs practicing rural family medicine and rural primary care were compared. RP graduates were 10 times more likely to practice rural family medicine than IMGs (relative risk [RR] = 10.0, confidence interval [CI] 8.7-11.6, P < .001) and almost 4 times as likely to practice any rural primary care specialty (RR 3.8, CI 3.5-4.2, P < .001). Overall, RPs produced more rural family physicians than the IMG cohort (376 versus 254). Despite their relatively small size, RPs had a significant impact on rural family physician and primary care supply compared with the much larger cohort of IMGs. Wider adoption of the RP model would substantially increase access to care in rural areas compared with increasing reliance on IMGs or unfocused expansion of traditional medical schools.

Undergraduate Rural Medical Education Program Development: Focus Group Consultation With the NRHA Rural Medical Educators Group

Over a decade ago, leaders in rural medical education established the Rural Medical Educators (RME) Group, an interest group within the National Rural Health Association, to support faculty in rural medical education programs. This group has convened an annual RME conclave since 2006. In 2008, this conclave convened 15 national leaders in rural medical education at The University of Alabama. In preparation for the conclave, potential participants were e-mailed a set of questions regarding their respective medical education program's initiating motivation, support, resistance, resources, accomplishments, and continuation plans. Analysis of participants' responses resulted in a question guide that was used at a focus group conducted at the conclave. The purpose of the focus group was to explore the experiences of established rural medical educators related to program development and maintenance. The focus group was recorded and transcribed, and then analyzed using the constant comparative method. Five essential elements for rural medical education programs emerged from the analysis. The elements were: admit the right student, include curricular elements that occur and are required in rural training sites, establish a cadre of rural physicians who are dedicated to education of their successors, secure financial and relational support for the program, and evaluate program progress. Discussion about these 5 elements can provide program guidance to neophyte rural medical education programs. Five recommendations are presented in an effort to continue discussion about the essential elements and identify actions that rural medical educators can take to further assist developing programs.

State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Medicine

State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Medicine

Definition of “Rural” Determines the Placement Outcomes of a Rural Medical Education Program: Analysis of Jichi Medical University Graduates

To show the impact of changing the definition of what is "rural" on the outcomes of a rural medical education program. A cross-sectional sample of 643 graduates under obligatory rural service and 1,699 graduates after serving their obligation, all from Jichi Medical University (JMU), a binding rural education program in Japan, were used as the data source. Communities were divided into decile groups according to population density, and the cut-off for "rural/nonrural" was altered in order to study its impact on the data. The rural practice rate of obliged graduates had its peak in the decile groups with the lowest population densities, while the peak rates of postobligation graduates and non-JMU physicians were at the decile groups with the highest population densities. Rural practice rates of all of the 3 groups of physicians increased with the increase in inclusiveness of rural definition. The ratio of rural practice rate of obliged graduates to that of non-JMU physicians ("relative effectiveness") increased remarkably with the increase in exclusiveness of rural definition. The relative effectiveness of postobligation graduates did not substantially increase after the cut-off exceeded a certain point of exclusiveness. Definition of "rural" largely determined the rural practice rate and relative effectiveness of JMU graduates. The results suggest that results of past outcome studies of rural medical education programs are potentially biased depending on how rural is defined.

A new model to understand the career choice and practice location decisions of medical graduates

Australian medical education is increasingly influenced by rural workforce policy. Therefore, understanding the influences on medical graduates' practice location and specialty choice is crucial for medical educators and medical workforce planners. The South Australian Flinders University Parallel Rural Community Curriculum (PRCC) was funded by the Australian Government to help address the rural doctor workforce shortage. The PRCC was the first community based medical education program in Australia to teach a full academic year of medicine in South Australian rural general practices. The aim of this research was to identify what factors influence the career choices of PRCC graduates. A retrospective survey of all contactable graduates of the PRCC was undertaken. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS 14.0 for Windows. Qualitative data were entered into NVIVO 7 software for coding, and analysed using content analysis. Usable data were collected from 46 of the 86 contactable graduates (53%). More than half of the respondents (54%) reported being on a rural career path. A significant relationship exists between being on a rural career pathway and making the decision prior to or during medical school (p = 0.027), and between graduates in vocational training who are on an urban career path and making a decision on career specialty after graduation from medical school (p = .004). Graduates in a general practice vocational training program are more likely to be on a rural career pathway than graduates in a specialty other than general practice (p = .003). A key influence on graduates' practice location is geographic location prior to entering medical school. Key influences on graduates choosing a rural career pathway are: having a spouse/partner with a rural background; clinical teachers and mentors; the extended rural based undergraduate learning experience; and a specialty preference for general practice. A lack of rural based internships and specialist training places is influencing both urban- and rural-origin graduates to practise in urban locations. Further analysis of graduates' career pathway choices (rural or urban) and geographic background (rural or urban) was conducted. This resulted in the development of a new model, 'The Four Qs Model'. This model consists of four quadrants derived from the variables career pathway choice (rural or urban) and geographic background (rural or urban). Clustering of consistent demographic and qualitative trends unique to each quadrant was demonstrated. The distinctive clustering that emerged from the data resulted in the quadrants being renamed 'The True Believers', 'The Convertibles' 'The Frustrated' and 'The Metro Docs'. The PRCC is influencing graduates to choose a rural career path. The PRCC program affirms the career preferences of rural origin students while graduates with little rural exposure prior to the PRCC report being positively influenced to pursue a rural career path. The Four Qs Model is a useful model in that it demonstrates consistent themes in the characteristics of PRCC graduates and assists understanding of why they choose a rural medical career. This could be relevant to the selection of medical students into rural medical education programs and in the construction of rural curricula. The model also offers a useful framework for further research in this field.

A Comprehensive Medical Education Program Response to Rural Primary Care Needs

This article presents the characteristics and results of the Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program which addresses medical workforce needs focused on reducing rural health disparities. The program is comprehensive in implementing a system of recruitment of candidates from rural backgrounds, offering a rural-focused curriculum, and instituting evaluative components to track outcomes. Distinctive program features include a Recruitment and Retention Committee of rural community members; special rural-focused topics and events during the first three years of undergraduate medical education; and a required fourth-year, 16-week rural preceptorship through which students work with primary care physicians and conduct community-oriented primary care projects. Since 1993, 216 students have matriculated. More than three quarters of candidates interviewed received offers into the program (overall acceptance rate of 75%). Comparisons between RMED and all other students on composite MCAT scores and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Part 1 scores show a slightly lower MCAT average for RMED students, but USMLE scores are equal to those of non-RMED students. To date, 159 students have graduated, with 76% entering primary care residencies; 103 are currently in practice, with 64.4% in primary care practice in small towns and/or rural communities. RMED Program outcomes compare favorably with those of other rural medical education programs. RMED can serve as a model at many levels, including recruitment, collaboration, curriculum, and retention. Future challenges for program development and disparity reduction include recruiting students from the growing number of rural minority populations, expanding the number of program slots, and integrating the program with other health professions to address the needs of rural populations.

A Contract‐Based Training System for Rural Physicians: Follow‐Up of Jichi Medical University Graduates (1978‐2006)

The number of studies on long-term effects of rural medical education programs is limited. Personal factors that are associated with long-term retention of physicians in rural areas are scarcely known. The authors studied the outcomes of Jichi Medical University (JMU), whose mission is to produce rural doctors, and analyzed the characteristics of its graduates who engaged in rural practice even after their 9-year obligation of rural practice. A retrospective cohort study was conducted including 2,988 JMU students who graduated between 1978 and 2006. Baseline data were collected at matriculation and graduation. Workplace addresses were surveyed in 2000, 2004, and 2006. Follow-up rates were 98.7%, 98.2%, and 98.0% respectively. After their obligation period, JMU graduates were 4 times more likely than non-JMU graduates to work in rural areas. The higher proportion of JMU graduates in rural areas did not change significantly between 1994 and 2004. The rural recruitment rate of post-obligation JMU graduates was somewhat lower than rates reported for top rural medical education programs in the United States. In multivariate analyses, rural upbringing and primary care specialty were positively associated with having a rural address in at least one post-obligation study year (OR 1.89 [95% CI 1.27-2.81]; and 7.63 [4.37-13.34], respectively) and settlement (ie, having a rural address over multiple years) after the contract (1.90 [1.04-3.48]; and 32.07 [4.43-232.24], respectively). Graduation from a private high school had a negative association with recruitment (0.56 [0.33-0.96]). JMU was successful in increasing the number and retention of rural physicians. Rural origin and primary care specialty have a positive impact on both recruitment and retention after the rural obligation.

Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, 1990–2005: Case Study of a Second-Generation Rural Medical Education Program

ABSTRACT A pipeline model has been suggested to increase the rural physician supply. This study is an institutional case report used to describe the context, development, and in-house evaluation of the University of Alabama Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, 1990–2005. This program was developed at a University of Alabama School of Medicine branch campus to target rural students at multiple levels, elementary schools through residency, and includes a minority focus. Requirements to enter the medical program include living 8 years in rural Alabama, meeting admission requirements, and affinity for rural lifestyles. Twenty-six percent of 316 high school participants, all 40 students in the minority-focused college program, and 3% of 90 medical program students were African American. The program includes (1) puppet shows in elementary schools depicting different health professions, (2) Rural Health Scholars Program for 11th-grade students, (3) Minority Rural Health Pipeline Program for college students, (4) Rural Medical Scholars Program, a 5-year track of study in rural community health and medicine, and (5) assured admission to family medicine residency. Outcomes studied in this case report included medical school performance, graduation rate, selection of family medicine specialty, and rural practice location. Medical scholars were anticipated to experience academic difficulty, select family medicine specialty, and locate in rural practice more often than peers. Compared to peers, medical scholars showed lower scores on preclinical courses and USMLE steps 1 and 2, reflective of their lower MCAT and GPA scores, but had (1) similar graduation rates (95% vs peers 84%), (2) higher family medicine selection rate (47% vs Huntsville 27% vs Tuscaloosa 12% vs Birmingham 4% [OR compared to Birmingham 22.7, 95% CI 10.5–49.4]), and (3) higher rural practice rate (67% vs peers 14% vs national group 9%) in the first RMSP classes. Based on these important outcomes being better than or equal to the traditional student cohorts, the institution concluded that the Rural Health Leaders Pipeline demonstrates successful use of the rural pipeline model.

Comparing Rural-Trained Medical Students With Their Peers: Performance in a Primary Care OSCE

Background: Although it is well-established and considered successful, there is limited data on how the graduates of a Minnesota rural medical education program (Rural Physician Associate Program [RPAP]) compare with their peers.Purpose: To compare the performance of RPAP students with their peers on a primary care observed structured clinical examination (OSCE).Methods: The performances of RPAP students and a group of non-RPAP Year 4 medical students were compared on the same OSCE.Results: RPAP students performed at least as well as their peers on stations assessing performance on common primary care clinical scenarios but not as well on a small number of stations that assessed applied knowledge of specific content taught in the traditional clerkship curriculum.Conclusions: We provide evidence that rurally trained students at this institution performed at least as well as their peers on OSCE stations testing performance in common primary care scenarios. The broader implications of this study are that medical students may receive high-quality training in rural communities, as documented by their performance on an objective structured clinical examination.

An Evaluation of the Rural Medical Education Program of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, 1990???2003

The Rural Medical Education Program (RMED) of the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University is a 36-week clinical experience in rural communities for medical students that began in 1989. The authors sought to assess RMED's success in providing a valuable educational experience for students that assists rural communities recruit physicians. In 2004, the authors used the Physician Masterfiles of the American Medical Association to compare practice locations of SUNY Upstate graduates who completed RMED with those who did not; surveyed former RMED students to assess their satisfaction with their practice location and the importance of RMED in helping them choose a location; interviewed hospital administrators in communities that have hosted RMED students to understand the impact of RMED on host communities; and compared United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 scores of RMED students with those of non-RMED students to evaluate educational attainment. A greater percentage of former RMED students practiced in rural locations [22/86 (26%)] than did non-RMED students [95/1,307 (7%)]. Ninety-one percent (69/76) of former RMED students were satisfied with their location, and 84% (64/76) believed that RMED was important in helping them choose a location. Hospital administrators viewed the program highly because it helped them recruit physicians and benefitted their medical staff. RMED students had higher adjusted mean Step 2 scores than did non-RMED students (212.3 versus 199.1). The RMED program has successfully met its goals of providing a valuable educational experience for medical students and assisting rural communities recruit physicians.

Screening Applicants for a Rural Medical Education Program

The goal of the Rural Medical Education (RMED) Program of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford is to train rural family physicians. This article describes the screening instrument developed by RMED to identify appropriate candidates.