Rural Residency Planning and Development Program

The Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) program aims to improve and expand rural health care access by developing new, accredited, sustainable rural residency programs. The program provides start-up funding to create new rural residency programs in qualifying medical specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. The program focuses on preparing physicians to practice in rural communities. Key aspects of the program include: • Accredited physician residency programs • Clinical training sites located in rural areas • Preparation for physicians to practice in rural communities • Start-up funding for new rural residency programs • Long-term sustainability funding from viable sources such as Medicare, Medicaid, and other public or private sources.