GME Development Series: Psychiatry Program Development

There are well-documented deficits in mental health care access in most of rural America. Evidence for a residency program-based strategy to improve rural healthcare workforce supply is strong. Despite this evidence, graduate medical education (GME) in rural areas remains very limited. The Government Accountability Office estimates that only 2% of residents across all specialties train in rural areas. This is due in part to the unique challenges that face rural health organizations in the Unites States, which often operate on thin financial margins with limited providers and staff. As a result, both Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have adopted strategic policies and resources to support development of rural GME programs including psychiatry. Understanding of these relatively new resources is critical for rural program development.

The objectives of this webinar are to:

• Describe the different types of rural psychiatric training programs and understand their evolution
• Identify rural training policy changes and resources available through the ACGME
• Identify barriers and opportunities for developing psychiatry programs including faculty recruitment and clinical education delivery
  

• Daniel Elswick, MD, FACLP, West Virginia University School of Medicine
  
• Chris Francazio, MBA, Healthcare·PKFHealth, LLC