January 2025 Newsletter

📢 Funding Alerts!

Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released a funding opportunity to expand the number of fellows at accredited addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry fellowship programs trained as addiction medicine specialists. These fellows will practice in medically underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health disorder and substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment services.

The fellowship must include training in prevention and treatment services in medically underserved community-based settings, including in rural areas, that have limited or no access to SUD prevention or treatment. The AMF program trains both addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry fellows.

Application Deadline: February 28th, 2025.

Visit the grant page to learn more about the opportunity.

Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program (WRPRAP)

WRPRAP funding opportunities target and prioritize educational activities for new physicians in rural Wisconsin communities, with the goal of training more physicians to meet Wisconsin’s rural workforce needs.

Rural GME Operational Grants »

The Rural GME Operational Fund supports quality improvement and continuation of current rural GME programs. Activities may include rural rotations, curriculum development, technical assistance for rural residency programs, and more.

Rural GME Transformational Grants »

The Rural GME Transformational Fund supports innovation and planning for future rural GME initiatives. These activities may include developing a new rural residency program, developing a new rural track to enhance an urban residency program, and other pilot studies associated with rural GME training positions in eligible residency program specialties.

Application Deadline: February 10th, 2025

Visit the grant page to learn more about these opportunities.

A Day in the Life of a

Rural Internal Medicine Resident

Check out the latest Day In The Life video! ✨

Thanks to Dr. Claudia Waters, resident at Marshfield Clinic Health System, for giving us an insider glimpse into A Day in the Life of a Rural Internal Medicine Resident.

Training in a rural program provides residents with a unique opportunity to perform and being exposed to procedures, see a wide-range patient panel, provide health education, and be an ingrained part of a vibrant community.

“I really enjoy training in Marshfield, because I enjoy living in Marshfield. I think a mistake that medical students and residents make is that they feel they need to wait to start living until they are done with their training. Your life happens throughout all of that and Marshfield is a place where that’s possible. I’m really happy to be doing my training here in rural Wisconsin, because I get to practice like I want to play.”

Professional Development Grants Available

WCRGME, in partnership with WRPRAP, provides funding for Professional Development activities designed to prepare our partner Rural and Community Primary Care physicians, staff, coordinators, and facilities for success in training future medical providers.

Eligible applicants must be a past or present WRPRAP grantee, or a preceptor who has worked with a program that has received or is currently receiving WRPRAP funding.
Priority for funds will be given to organizations actively demonstrating a commitment to rural training and active participation in WCRGME activities.
Maximum of $5,000 per year per program and $3,000 per year per person.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, pending available funding.

Learn more here.

2025 Save the Dates

WCRGME Annual Meeting - Friday, May 16th; 9:00 AM-3:00 PM at RWHC in Sauk City

Poster & Recruitment Fair - Thursday evening, September 4th; at MCW - Central Wisconsin in Wausau

Faculty Development Conference - Friday, September 5th;

8:00 AM-3:00PM at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. Residents and Medical Students attend for free.

WCMEW 2025 Summit

Planning Committee

The Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce (WCMEW)'s Annual Workforce Summit is a great opportunity to engage, strategize, and learn about meeting workforce challenges.

Please reach out to George Quinn at gquinn@wcmew.org if you would be interested in helping plan the 2025 Summit!

Rural GME Administrator Leadership Institute

The Rural GME Administrator Leadership Institute is a one-year program aimed at enhancing leadership skills and expanding networks for administrators/coordinators in rural residency programs. Recognizing the limited opportunities for training and mentorship available to administrators/coordinators representing rural medical education, the Leadership Institute focuses on unique professional development needs. It equips participants to effectively manage rural GME programs while fostering connections with peer administrators. Applications are due February 6th. Learn more here.

Student Advisory Board

Started in 2020, WCRGME collaborates with a Student Advisory Board comprised of medical students to obtain insight and perspective on topics related to recruiting medical students to rural residencies and tracks, promoting rural programs, and retaining medical students and residents to practice in Wisconsin. The students have also been a great resource to share information and upcoming events with their classmates.

The group is comprised of nine students, representing five regional medical schools, rural campuses and urban medical schools - the Milwaukee, Central Wisconsin/Wausau, and Green Bay campuses of Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin WARM Program, Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

We were thrilled to have four students from the Student Advisory Group join us for our 2024 Faculty Development conference. They shared impactful feedback on why rural matters to them, their experiences in medical school, and what they seek in a rural residency program. Their perspectives were a valuable addition and a highlight to an already full day of knowledge-sharing and networking. The students also expressed that it was a valuable experience for them to network with residents and faculty and practice presenting.

We are incredibly grateful for their contributions and excited about the future of rural medical education! 🎉