Watch: A Day in the Life of a Rural Family Medicine Resident
The Rural Health Equity Track (RHET) prepares residents to become leaders in improving rural health care. With a customizable community focus and a strong emphasis on health equity, RHET equips residents for rural practice and advocacy. The program facilitates rural rotations and encourages resident engagement in rural Wisconsin communities. RHET residents develop skills to address needs that often go unmet in rural areas, such as providing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
RHET participants fully integrate into the Madison residency curriculum, gaining broad skills in areas like obstetrics, ICU care, and a wide range of electives. They attend the same didactic sessions and rotate through St. Mary’s, UW Health, and UnityPoint Meriter Hospitals. Each year, two residents join RHET through a post-match selection process.
Benefits of RHET Participation
- Training and leadership in prescribing MOUD
- A leadership curriculum that deepens understanding of rural health issues and pathways to improve care
- Connections with mentors and organizations that support lifelong involvement in rural health advocacy, such as NRHA meetings and steering committee guidance
- Regular work in a rural free clinic and critical access hospital during the second and third years
- Focused mental health and AODA training, including certification to prescribe MOUD
- Full participation in the Madison residency, which already emphasizes broad-spectrum skills and strong elective opportunities
- A customizable community emphasis: residents with existing ties to, or interest in, a particular Wisconsin rural community can complete more of their rural rotations and community projects in that area