A Typology for Rural Residency Training

Until rural track program definitions were recently established in regulation and accreditation,1 there was no widely accepted classification system for rural graduate medical education (GME), making it difficult to conduct educational research, compare published results, or navigate the maze of options available to residency applicants. This typology for rural residency training, refined in use by rural medical educators, student applicants, and researchers2,3 over the past 2 decades, addresses varying degrees of required rurally located training, rural focus, and rural graduate placement outcomes. Acknowledging the range and differences across rural and frontier communities, this typology considers to be rural a geographic location that is rural by any 2 of the more than 75 federal definitions that exist (e.g., Core-Based Statistical Areas, Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes). For 8 common federal definitions, see RHIhub's "Am I Rural?" Tool at https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/am-i-rural.