THURS-031 - Grounded in Rural Communities: Strengthening California’s Physician Workforce Through PRIME

Brief Abstract Summary: UC Davis School of Medicine’s Rural PRIME (Programs in Medical Education) was launched in 2007 to address California’s rural physician shortages. A longitudinal undergraduate medical education program, Rural PRIME employs a comprehensive strategy to develop a rural-focused healthcare workforce focused on holistic selection processes, clinical experiences in rural settings, and tailored curriculum focused on rural health disparities. Between 2011 and 2024, Rural PRIME graduated 125 physicians, 93 of whom have since completed graduate medical education and are in independent practice. 40% (37/93) practice in rural communities, 3.6 times higher than the national average of 11%.1 Mission-based programs like Rural PRIME can mitigate rural physician workforce shortages by recruiting mission-driven students from rural communities and supporting graduates to return and serve them.

Detailed abstract description: UC Davis School of Medicine’s Rural PRIME (Programs in Medical Education) was established in 2007 to directly address the physician shortages that persist across California’s rural communities. These regions face disproportionate burdens of chronic disease, higher mortality rates, and limited access to care, yet remain chronically underserved by the physician workforce. Rural PRIME responds to these inequities through a comprehensive, longitudinal model of medical education that combines mission-driven admissions, early and sustained clinical immersion in rural communities, and a curriculum focused on rural health disparities, population health, and health equity.

The program’s outcomes underscore its impact. Between 2011 and 2024, Rural PRIME graduated 125 physicians. Of the 93 who have completed residency training and entered independent practice, 40 percent are working in rural communities—a rate 3.6 times higher than the national average of 11 percent. These results demonstrate that mission-based programs, when thoughtfully designed and rigorously evaluated, can achieve measurable improvements in workforce distribution and address structural barriers to care.

This presentation will use Rural PRIME as a case study in designing and sustaining an education-to-workforce pathway that is responsive to community needs. Attendees will examine how holistic admissions processes identify students with strong rural ties and commitments to underserved practice; how curricular innovations embed rural health content, cultural humility, and health policy into medical education; and how partnerships with rural communities create meaningful clinical training environments that encourage graduates to remain in those settings. The discussion will also highlight the role of data collection and longitudinal tracking in assessing outcomes, benchmarking progress against national standards, and making continuous program improvements.

For health educators, policymakers, and workforce leaders, this session offers a replicable model of how medical schools can anchor training programs in community health priorities while preparing physicians to meet the complex needs of rural populations. By intentionally linking admissions, curriculum, and practice environments, Rural PRIME demonstrates how educational institutions can strengthen the physician workforce, advance health equity, and reduce disparities in healthcare distribution. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how mission-driven education can be leveraged to create durable workforce solutions, as well as strategies that can be adapted to rural, tribal, urban underserved, and global contexts.