Program Updates
April 2012 Update
Grants Update: Wisconsin Rural Training Track Collaborative
With the awarding of a $150,000 grant from WRPRAP in February, a major initiative has been launched to create the Wisconsin Rural Training Track Collaborative (WRTTC)! As previously announced, a Request for Proposals issued by WRPRAP last November resulted in this award. Led by the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC), the proposal described a collaborative venture for developing a family medicine rural training track (RTT) and potentially other vehicles for expansion of resident training in rural communities. Partners in the collaborative will share resources and administrative functions and will operate both independently and collaboratively to complement each other’s programs and services. In addition to the initial $150,000 grant, WRTTC will be eligible for additional funding the following year if certain benchmarks are met.
WRPRAP will serve as funding sourceand technical advisor under a cooperative agreement that will define partner relationships within the collaborative throughout the development process. With accord on long-term goals for rural training for more residents, there is much to be determined on how WRTTC will be structured, function and the roles of individual members. A group of approximately 30 health professionals representing hospitals, clinics, residency programs, as well as RWHC and WRPRAP is meeting regularly to learn, consider options and weigh consulting advice on the path forward.
The emphasis in this RFP funding is on new or expanded resident training programs. WRPRAP is committed to facilitating this development through funding of well planned initiatives and providing technical assistance to funded programs. The process of creating a new RTT is a long, complicated, multi-faceted process. Approaching this process with multiple partners under a collaborative umbrella enhances prospects for success. WRPRAP is also willing to consider unsolicited grant applications for graduate medical education (resident training) done in rural settings based generally on the requirements in the original RFP. For details, see http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/rural/applications-funding/request-proposal.
WRTTC Development
On February 15th, the first formal planning meeting of the Wisconsin Rural Training Track Collaborative (WRTTC) was hosted by the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative in Sauk City. Community organizations with varying degrees of interest, capacity and knowledge about RTT development gathered for a seminar presented by WRPRAP. DFM faculty with different expertises made informational presentations and responded to questions related to how to create a successful RTT.
A second technical assistance meeting was held for this same group on March 22nd, again at the RWHC.
Participants included four residency programs, including those with previous RTT experience, which helped to broaden and enrich discussions about how to determine the kind of infrastructure and partnerships that might prove feasible for WRTTC. A rich exchange between the represented programs and exploration of perceived challenges, opportunities and collaboration ideas yielded considerable substance for planning next steps.
Such technical assistance sessions are part of the agreement that frames the cooperative working relationship between WRPRAP and WRRTC. Engaging external consultants to further inform and support the development process for the WRTTC and/or constituent members is also contemplated.
Other Available Funding
Funding for existing residency education in rural communitieswas and continues to be available via WRPRAP’s grants for supporting rural rotations, existing rural training tracks and education development grants. Information, guidelines and application materials for all these grants are available on the WRPRAP website at http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/rural/applications-funding. Streamlined forms and application process now make accessing funding even simpler. A new option for up to $35,000 through an education development grant may be particularly attractive to a hospital or clinic for perhaps pursuing a feasibility study to determine their competence and likelihood of success to pursue a broader residency education program or for other GME purposes.
UPDATE readers are encouraged to consider WRPRAP grant options for supporting or expanding their own residency education efforts and to urge others in their networks to do the same. This is an excellent time to match need and opportunity to address graduate medical education requirements with WRPRAP support and technical assistance. Staff are happy to answer your questions (Wilda Nilsestuen: 608-262-2764) or walk you through the uncomplicated application process (Paul Howl: 608-265-5670).
The Bigger RTT Picture
WRPRAP Director and Coordinator attended the 2nd Annual RTT Conclave in Omaha, NE in early March. We were pleased to note from colleagues there that interest in revitalizing Rural Training Tracks (RTTs) is a growing national phenomenon. Recruitment for rural practice is the best in a decade. The federal government has shown an interest and is sponsoring a 3-year RTT Technical Assistance Program to collect data and support new development. The Conclave was a mid-course report on the status of the TA program, an opportunity to solidify and expand the network of RTTs it represents, and to provide an opportunity for experienced RTTs to offer practical counsel to developing programs.
In addition to the generally expressed optimism, some basic statistics point to current efforts in RTT development. Currently, there are:
- 24 active RTTs
- 2 accredited, but not currently active RTTs
- 10 actual 1-2 RTTs in development
- 8 states contemplating development of one or more RTTs
- 5 states with RTT in development, but not 1-2 programs.
Additionally, the Obama Administration’s “Improving Rural Health Care Initiative” is focused on workforce development by working to support existing RTTs, increasing student interest in RTTs and expanding the number of RTTs nationwide.
WRPRAP’s support of the WRTTC development and encouragement of other grant applications to back rural GME training is part of this larger and much needed response to underserved rural populations.
Get Connected
WRPRAP urges you to find out more about funding opportunitiesthat provide support for a wide range of graduate medical education training needs. Contact Program Coordinator Wilda Nilsestuen at wilda.nilsestuen@fammed.wisc.eduor 608-262-2764.
To keep in touch with program activities at our website or be added to the WRPRAP UPDATE dissemination list, visit: www.fammed.wisc.edu/wi-rural-physician-program. To encourage others to do the same, please forward this message to them.
As always, we thank you for your continued interest and support.
January 2012 Update
Grants Update: RFP Response
As a result of a Request for Proposals issued by WRPRAP last November and Letters of Intent responding to that request in December, WRPRAP has identified a group of small hospitals and other entities that meet the funding criteria for a multi-year effort in rural residency expansion. They have agreed to pursue a collaborative venture for developing a family medicine rural training track, and share resources and administrative functions to both operate independently and complement each other’s contributions to the consortium. Their winning proposal is eligible for up to $150, 000 the first year.
Partners in the collaborative have agreed to work together to develop a new Rural Training Track and/or other initiatives to increase over time the number of family medicine residents they can train who will be prepared to practice in rural Wisconsin. WRPRAP will serve as a funding source and technical advisor under a cooperative agreement that will define partner relationships within the collaborative throughout the development process. We have begun to work together to develop plans to implement our common vision for new and expanded opportunities for resident education, shared resources and long-term impact on the rural medical workforce in Wisconsin.
The emphasis in this funding is on new or expanded resident training programs. The process of creating the structure, securing the accreditation, attracting the residents and teaching faculty and assuring sustainable funding for establishing new residency training programs is long and daunting, but the need is great and the evidence strong that the greater the time residents spend in rural settings during their medical training, the greater the likelihood they will ultimately practice in small communities. WRPRAP is committed to facilitating this development through funding of well planned initiatives, providing technical assistance to funded programs and educating the broader public about the importance of adequate and accessible health care to the health and economic sustainability of underserved rural communities throughout Wisconsin.
Other Available Funding
Funding for existing residency education in rural communities was and continues to be available via WRPRAP’s grants for supporting rural rotations, existing rural training tracks and education development grants. Information, guidelines and application materials for all these grants are available on the WRPRAP website at http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/rural/applications-funding. Streamlined forms and a application process now make accessing funding even simpler. A new option for up to $35,000 in education development may be particularly attractive to a hospital or clinic for pursuing a feasibility study to determine their competence and likelihood of success to pursue a broader residency education program. UPDATE readers are encouraged to consider WRPRAP grant options for supporting or expanding their own residency education efforts and to urge others in their networks to do the same. This is an excellent time to match need and opportunity to address graduate medical education needs with WRPRAP support and technical assistance.
Press for WRPRAP
WRPRAP was featured in the UW-DFM Winter Newsletter. The article summarizes WRPRAP’s rural roots, Wisconsin’s acute need for more rural physicians, the substantial impact they have on the economic as well as physical health of small communities, and the means and methods WRPRAP has undertaken to grow the numbers of new physicians who can be trained and ultimately practice in rural areas. Link to the article at www.fammed.wisc.edu/our-department/newsletter/winter-2012/wrprap-grant-program.
WRPRAP Outreach
Awareness of the growing urgency of developing more rural residency opportunities is increasingly apparent. Also apparent is that the desire for contributing to solutions outstrips the knowledge of how to go about establishing accreditable residency programs. In response, WRPRAP plans to offer training and guidance to programs who have expressed serious intent to create or expand graduate medical education in rural areas.
A Rural Training Track development seminar has been scheduled for February15th for representatives of the collaborative partners described above and other grant eligible programs who have specifically expressed an interest in developing new RTT or residency education programs. Invited participants will learn about academic and accreditation issues, fiscal considerations, roles and relationships needed between a RTT and its sponsoring institution; and will learn from the experience of current and former residency program directors. This is the first of many technical assistance events for WRPRAP funded and prospective funding recipients in the coming months.
Your Voice Needed
WRPRAP would like to hear from you if you would like to:
- Know more about WRPRAP, funding opportunities, or how to connect with others in your area who might be interested in collaborating to provide new rural residency opportunities.
- Meet with WRPRAP staff to discuss specific ideas you have for WRPRAP-assisted participation in expanded rural resident training.
Contact Program Coordinator Wilda Nilsestuen at wilda.nilsestuen@fammed.wisc.edu or 608-262-2764.
Join the WRPRAP Mailing List
To keep in touch with program activities at our website or be added to the WRPRAP UPDATE dissemination list, visit: www.fammed.wisc.edu/wi-rural-physician-program. To encourage others to do the same, please forward this message to them.
As always, we thank you for your continued interest and support.
