All family medicine residents training in Colorado are required to complete a one-month rotation in a rural or underserved community.
Strong preference is given to training in a rural setting.
The rotation is a significant component of a family physician's training in Colorado. The purpose of the rotation is for the resident to experience first-hand the challenges and rewards of being a competent family physician in a rural and medically underserved setting with limited medical resources. Additionally, this experience exposes the resident to the qualities of community life, such as local pride in and support of its hospital, schools, churches and community events and activities. The community is at least 35 miles from a metropolitan area or medical teaching hospital. The majority of experience must be family practice and not limited to orthopedics, sports medicine, ski injuries, emergency medicine, etc.