The Rural Pathway
We are an innovative residency program developing skills, educational strategies, and resources to transform health care.
We are dedicated to inspiring and training residents for an exciting and fulfilling career in rural and under-resourced health care with the educational tools and systemic supports to help build the foundations they need to thrive.
Since 2021, our Rural Pathway has recruited and matched 5 residents to this exciting new program.
What We Do
The University of Utah Med-Peds Rural Pathway Curriculum is designed to give learners crucial knowledge for rural and under-resourced health care in an engaging and interactive format. Our leadership team has clinical, educational, research, and administrative backgrounds that contribute to our success.
Where We Work
Our residents have the opportunity to train in a variety of rural and under-resourced locations throughout the Intermountain West. Additionally, the University and Primary Children's hospitals have a referral basis from the Four Corners region to Montana.
- Rural rotations: Northern Navajo Medical Center (Shiprock, NM), Chinle Comprehensive HealthCenter (Chinle, AZ), Blue Mountain Hospital (Blanding, UT), Community Hospital of Anaconda (Anaconda, MT), and the Fort Harrison VA (Helena, MT).
- Salt Lake area rotations: Midvale Community Building Community Clinic (Midvale, UT), Fourth Street Clinic (SLC, UT), People's Health Clinic (Park City, UT), and Mountain West Medical Center (Tooele, UT). We are in the process of trying to add the Salt Lake Urban Indian Center in the next few years.
What We Require
Through our program, residents have the opportunity to rotate in various populations in the Western United States, from IHS facilities in the Four Corners Region of the US to a small-town community hospital and a VA in rural Montana. We also have partnerships with a range of Utah-based hospitals, from rural sites in Southern Utah to clinics that serve refugee populations in Salt Lake City.
Residents in our program will complete the following over their 4 years of residency:
- 6 months total of Rural or Urban under-resourced rotations, with a minimum of 3 of those total rotations being rural.
- An online Rural and Under-resourced Health Care curriculum.
- Supplemental and focused procedural/ultrasound training.
- A QI or research project focused on rural or under-resourced health.
FAQ
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We currently admit three residents per year into our main Med-Peds program. Of these three, we can admit up to three Rural Pathway spots per year (therefore all matched positions have the potential to participate in the Rural Pathway).
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We are always trying to build our program and looking for new collaborators. If you are interested in developing a new rotation, we would love to hear your ideas!
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Our program began as a rural-focused program responding to our University's mission and community needs. Because our project responds to patient needs related to health care access, we also offer experiences in under-resourced health care in urban settings.
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There is no obligation or regulation related to your post-residency work experience.
We hope that training in our program equips and inspires trainees to find rural or under-resourced locations to pursue in their post-residency practice.