Home- Rural & Underserved Utah Training Experience (RUUTE) and Regional Affairs
Welcome to the Rural & Underserved Utah Training Experience (RUUTE) program! RUUTE has several opportunities housed within the RUUTE Program that align with the goals of the School of Medicine's Exceptional Learning Experience (ELE) that promote professionalism, community, and meaningful relationships for students, providers, and community members. RUUTE's learning experiences range from community outreach, becoming a preceptor, to learning experiences for medical students and residents.
Our Mission
To improve medical education and training, health care access and long-term socio-economic benefit for rural and underserved communities of Utah and the surrounding states of Idaho, Montana, & Wyoming by expanding interest, awareness, and placement of students and physicians.
Our Vision
- Increase the number of providers practicing medicine in rural and underserved areas of Utah and the Intermountain West
- Create opportunities for all medical students to engage in meaningful activities and experiences by building community, facilitating professional identity development, and service-learning
- Create research opportunities for medical students and others from rural/underserved backgrounds that also positively impact vulnerable patient populations
- Identify, recruit, and nurture students from rural and underserved areas to matriculate and thrive at the University of Utah School of Medicine through RUUTE Scholars
- Assist medical educators from rural and underserved areas to enhance their teaching skills through faculty recruitment and development
- Facilitate University of Utah School of Medicine faculty in delivering high-quality educational content both in-person and remotely, including via Telemedicine
- Enrich the community of rural providers by connecting them to a state-of-the-art academic health system
- Build a medical education infrastructure that residency programs (also known as Graduate Medical Education [GME]) may participate in and grow into one day
- Work with the multitude of internal and external stakeholders who have similar goals and interests as RUUTE
Our Values
- Communication and Respect
- Creativity and Innovation
- Integrity and Trust
- Professionalism and Teamwork
- Empathy and Compassion