An interprofessional rural health education program

Abstract

Objectives. To develop, implement, and assess an interprofessional rural health professions program for pharmacy and medical students. Design. A recruitment andadmissions process wasdeveloped thattargeted studentslikely topractice in rural areas. Pharmacy students participated alongside medical students in completing the Rural Health Professions program curriculum, which included monthly lecture sessions and assignments, and a cap-stone clinical requirement in the final year. Assessment. Fourteen pharmacy students and 33 medical students were accepted into the program during the first 2 years of the Rural Health Professions program. Approximately 90% of the rural health professions students were originally from rural areas. Conclusions. The rural health professions program is an interprofessional approach to preparing healthcare providers to practice in rural communities.