February 21 Forum to Discuss Minnesota’s Rural Healthcare Workforce

February 8, 2024

The MMA and the University of Minnesota Medical School will present a virtual forum on “Minnesota’s Rural Healthcare Workforce” from noon to 1 pm on February 21.     

Rural inequities in health are well-documented and persistent. One contributing factor to poorer health outcomes for rural residents is access to healthcare. Rural healthcare workforce shortages are a challenge for ensuring access to care and are a major topic for policymakers, educators, and health systems in Minnesota and beyond.  

The goal of this session is to provide an overview of the rural healthcare workforce and strategies used to increase the number of healthcare workers practicing in rural areas. Factors associated with healthcare workers' decisions to stay or leave rural areas also will be discussed. This will be followed by a review of lessons and outcomes of the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP), a nine-month rural longitudinal education experience for third-year medical students, as well as a review of emerging findings from ongoing research about improving recruitment and retention of healthcare workers in rural areas.  

Learning objectives for the forum include: 

• Define the factors that impact a healthcare professional’s choice to practice in a rural location; 

• Describe the impact of a rurally focused education program for medical students on future practice location; 

• Discuss the healthcare workforce needs across the spectrum of healthcare; and 

• Identify modifiable factors to enhance the rural healthcare workforce. 

Speakers for the forum include Teri Fritsma, PhD, with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH); Kirby Clark, MD, director, Rural and Metropolitan Physician Associate Programs at the University of Minnesota Medical School; and Zora Radosevich, director, Minnesota Office of Rural Health and Primary Care. Andrew Olson, MD, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, will serve as moderator.  

To register, click here.