Physician Training In Rural And Health Center Settings More Than Doubled, 2008-24

Although the federal government has invested in efforts to bolster graduate medical education in rural and underserved areas, no studies have examined whether these programs have succeeded at increasing physician training in these communities. This study measured trends in the number of medical residency training sites in rural and federally qualified health center (FQHC) settings, using data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The number of residency programs with training in rural sites increased from 120 (6.18 percent of all programs) in 2008-09 to 412 (14.34 percent) in 2023-24, whereas residencies at FQHC sites grew from 69 (3.55 percent) to 321 (11.17 percent). A large proportion of this expansion has been funded through federal investments: 21.6 percent of rural residencies are Rural Residency Planning and Development programs, and 28 percent of all current FQHC-based residencies are Teaching Health Center programs. National initiatives that create more training in rural and health center sites have the potential to increase access to care for underserved populations.