1. Rural Track orientation
Fall 2015

2. Agenda Who we are Background Mission and goals Curriculum overview
Expectations
Resources

3. Who we are Mark Deutchman “Dr. D” Melanie DeHerrera
Rural Track Director
Oversees program
Creates curriculum
Advise/mentor students
Colorado AHEC Director
Professor in Dept of Family Medicine
Associate Dean for Rural Health
Rural Track Program Coordinator
Provide administrative support
Manage budget/pay bills
Coordinate logistics for RT curriculum, summer activities, and student events

4. Background info Rural Track started in 2005
We were the first track and a model for others
Cohort of MD and PA students per year
Funded by Colorado Trust and Colorado Health Foundation
We are nationally known and a model for others

5. What we are working on Student Recruitment Program Improvement
Pipeline programs
Involvement with admissions
Program Improvement
Program Sustainability
Actively pursuing long-term funding
Recruiting for Asst Director
Measuring Results
Survey students and grads annually
Compiling, analyzing, and publishing data

6. results 82% are in primary care 61% are in Family Medicine
50% are in rural practice and 30% are in rural practice in Colorado.
Map updated Dec 2014
Need to revise to include new graduates

7. Residency Match Results of Rural Track Graduates
2009 Grads
2010 Grads
2011 Grads
2012 Grads
2013
2014
2015
Totals
Family Medicine
7 (5 in CO)
6 (2 in CO) 8
(2 in CO)
4 (1 in CO) 11 4 5 45
Pediatrics
2 (1 in CO) 1
(in CO)
Internal Medicine
3 (2 in CO) 2 12
Med Peds
Emergency Medicine
3 (1 in CO) 16
General Surgery
1 in CO 6
Other
5 (1 in CO) 3
(1 in CO) 9 29
Total
(8 in CO) 18
(7 in CO) 23
(4 in CO)
(6 in CO)
(5 in CO)
114

8. Mission of the Rural Track
Increase the number of CUSOM graduates who eventually enter and remain in practice in rural Colorado
Offer information and experiences that will help you make informed decisions about your future career directions
Pillars
Colorado
Rural
Underserved
Primary care
The slide shows the overall strategy.
The tactics are:
Forming a cohort of like-minded people whose interests are normal in an abnormal environment
Providing a safe environment to explore your questions
Myth-busting about rural: both positive and negatives
Creating a “can-do” mindset in a “can’t do environment”
Objectives:
Understand the range of medical specialties that can be practiced in rural communities of various sizes as well as the breadth and depth of knowledge and skills required of those specialties in a rural environment.  They will be able to use that understanding to help guide your own career choices. 
Understand the interplay between professional life, personal life, family life and community life that is unique to being a rural professional.  Be able to use that understanding to inform your future lifestyle choices.
Develop a positive attitude about your ability to learn new skills through early clinical experience and hands-on skills workshops.
Experience personal and professional mentorship with professionals who are currently in, or have been in rural practice.
Understand ethical aspects of the complex medical and personal relationships (dual relationships) that arise when living and working in a rural area.
Be able to describe the economic models available to finance rural medical practice including your own future employment models.
Have the skills to identify public health and occupational health problems that exist in a rural community in which you live or work.

9. Curriculum overview
Rural-focused seminars and workshops in Year 1 and 2
Rural Grand Rounds monthly lunch lectures
Social events and NWSS
Summer
Interdisciplinary Rural Immersion Week
Summer Rural Preceptorship (MD)
Ongoing mentorship
Extended rural clinical rotations in Year 3
3 month Integrated Longitudinal Medicine Clerkship (MD)
2 month rural FM rotation

10. Curricular threads Clinical Skills Clinical Knowledge
Community Engagement and Public Health
Professional Ethics
Business and Finance
Clinical skills because you will need to be able to cover many clinical procedures that in urban locations would be sent to subspecialists.
Clinical knowledge about a broad range of health topics and knowing how to find new information, since most or you are by nature and of necessity, generalists.
Community engagement and Public health  because “rural” is a lifestyle choice as much as it is a career choice and you will invariably have multiple professional and community roles.  You will also need to be able to recognize and attend to the needs of people within the context of the larger community and economy.
Professional ethics since you will have complex dual relationships with patients, friends and family.
Business and finance because you will have to make and manage enough money to support yourself and family, live well and save for emergencies and for retirement.

11. Student Expectations
Participate in majority of Rural Track activities (at least 80%)
Let us know when you can’t attend
Complete annual surveys and post-graduation follow-up
One-on-one meeting with RT faculty at least once per year
Appoint 2 MD and 1 PA student per class to be RT “co-presidents”
About 14 sessions during Phase I
About 13 sessions during Phase II
About 3 Phase III and IV intersessions
Total about 60 hours over 4 years
Immersion is about 30 hours
4-week preceptorship is about 160 hours

12. resources
Canvas
or call us