Considerations for rural training programs

This chapter provides an overview of considerations for psychiatry residency training in rural environments. Rural communities are commonly underserved for medical care, especially in psychiatry, with a lack of practitioners being a major issue. Rural-based psychiatric training offers an opportunity to improve the mental health of this population by offering and providing a mechanism to recruit and retain psychiatrists in communities that desperately need them. Rural programs also have the prospect of providing psychiatric training that has specific qualities that certain residents value. There are many components to building and running successful psychiatry training programs in rural environments. Having a vision for the type of psychiatrist desired in the community, how this practitioner will improve the community, and crucial characteristics of residents are essential for guiding the design and implementation of educational programming that is meaningful and integral.