Rural Health Track

More than 50 million Americans live in rural areas, half a million of whom are Idahoans. Life in our wild areas, while beautiful, can lead to hard circumstances. Further distances from heathcare services mean reduced access to care. Higher poverty rates and increasing age make it tough to ask for help at the places that are available.

The Rural Health Track aims to train PAs who understand these challenges and have a passion for breaking down stigmas to work side-by-side with communities.

What's in it for you?

• Specialized Mentorship: Be paired with a PA with experience in rural healthcare to guide you and give you advice.
• Expanded Telemedicine Experience: Learn how to bridge the physical distances through increased exposure and training in telemedicine.
• Focused Certificates in Rural-Relevant Topics: Delve deep into the types of medicine of most use in a rural setting by completing a graduate certificate of your choice from four options: Spanish for Health Professions, Geriatrics, Rural Health, and Lifestyle Medicine.
• Leadership Opportunities: Become an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholar to learn about health inequities, disparities, and social determinants of health in rural communities, and become a member of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).
• Interprofessional Rotations: Serve back-to-back rotations in one of our rural clinic partners as part of an interprofessional graduate team, understand the community's needs with a specialized introduction and walkabout, and develop plans for tackling them together.