Who, What, and Where: Transforming Primary Care Education to Advance Health Equity

To transform primary care with the goal of achieving health equity, changes in the way the health care workforce is selected, trained, and ultimately delivers care should be expedited. Research has repeatedly shown the immense impact of the social determinants of health and the gaps related to health equity in the United States. Despite this knowledge, health care education and delivery systems have been slow to evolve. The Health Resources and Services Administration established the Academic Units for Primary Care Training and Enhancement to work towards strengthening the primary care workforce. Through their research, the six individual Academic Units (AU) have identified gaps related to health equity in their areas of focus. This article provides recommendations from the AUs on ways primary care health professions education can be transformed to advance health equity and serves as background for the articles to follow in the remainder of the supplement.

Microresearch: Promoting Scholarly Activity That Addresses Health Disparities in Rural Health Professional Education Programs

Microresearch is an innovative, mentored research experience, originally developed in Africa and adapted for U.S. health professional trainees preparing for rural primary care practice. This report describes program elements (funding, mentorship, and peer support) that others may replicate to develop research and leadership skills through community engagement to address health disparities.

Leveraging Collective Impact to Promote Health Equity

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the Academic Units for Primary Care Training and Enhancement (AU-PCTE) used the Collective Impact Model to promote health equity. The Collective Impact Model and its five conditions provided a framework for the Academic Units for Primary Care Training and Enhancement (AU-PCTE), representing multiple universities in the United States, to promote health equity. Through the establishment of shared measurement, continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities, and the guidance of the backbone support organization, the work of each AU contributed to the collective impact on health equity. It is important to underscore that collective impact is an iterative process with both challenges and successes.

Routes to Rural Readiness: Enhancing Recruitment and Retention of Nurse Practitioners in Rural Primary Care Through Residencies

Rural PREP study that examined the purpose and characteristics of rural NP residencies that aim to promote the successful recruitment, transition, and retention of NPs in rural primary care practice

Why Do I Teach in Rural Practice? A Day in the Life of a Rural Preceptor

The teaching kit featuring work by Robert Ostrander, MD. will explore the importance of teaching in rural practice to both one’s well-being and to student learning.

Increasing Capacity and Joy in Precepting

In this professional development webinar Dr. Schmidt shares her experience and lessons learned from precepting 3-6 learners in a teaching half-day in the office.

Negotiating the IRB Process

This webinar convenes a panel who will share their experience and wisdom in navigating the IRB process in rural communities and in the area of rural health.

Routes to Rural Readiness: Enhancing Rural Clinical Training Experiences for Physician Assistants

This Rural PREP study will survey and interview PA program directors to describe the approaches of rurally oriented PA programs as well as the availability and varying models of rural clinical training in the most successful programs.

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

Rural PREP study that examined family medicine rural vs. urban training outcomes: resident competence, scope of practice, and output to rural practice

Welcoming Diverse Clinical Learners into Diverse Rural Communities

This webinar briefly reviews the staffing needs of rural communities and the experiential opportunities for trainees there, and discusses methods to support learners from diverse backgrounds in these settings.