The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Rural Health Educational Program

Training of physicians to meet the health care needs of rural residents has long been a priority of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. With establishment of the much imitated Rural Preceptorship Program in 1948, the college launched an ongoing series of efforts all directed toward increasing the number of graduates choosing to practice in rural locations. In addition to the required senior Preceptorship Program, a series of educational programs is available in each year of medical school, actually beginning prior to freshman enrollment. As a result, the college now offers a comprehensive series of educational experiences involving not only four years of medical school, but graduate training in the primary care specialties as well. This report summarizes the various activities of the college that now make up the rural emphasis program, all of which are designed to help ensure an adequate supply of physicians for rural Oklahoma.