Are Family Physicians Trained in Small Rural Residencies of Comparable Quality to Family Physicians Overall?

Because residency location is a strong determinant of eventual practice location, residency training in rural communities is critical for meeting rural workforce needs. Yet the quality of training and medical care provided by graduates of small rural family medicine residency programs is sometimes questioned. Using data from the American Board of Family Medicine, this study sought to demonstrate the value of rural training by examining how graduates of small rural family medicine programs compare with other family medicine residency graduates on ratings of competence and medical knowledge, current scope of practice, and output to rural practice.

For more information contact: Davis Patterson, PhD

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