Faculty development is an important component of continuing medical and health professions education. It is particularly significant for rural health professionals who may be located away from the university campus and have few opportunities for routine contacts with colleagues and their home departments.

RMED faculty development has involved preceptors and other health professionals at the RMED preceptorship sites, located across the state of Illinois. Faculty development sessions are designed to continuously improve the health professionals’ performance of both clinical and academic duties and responsibilities. Topics addressed in faculty development have included giving feedback and evaluating students in the clinical setting, diagnosis and management of chronic diseases in rural populations (including diabetes and asthma), end-of-life issues and decision-making in treatment and management, and at-risk behavior of adolescents and addressing the needs of young people in rural communities.

As the National Center for Rural Health Professions continues to develop, faculty development programs are planned and being implemented related to issues like rural health, health care delivery, and health outcomes of rural residents, team and interdisciplinary approaches to health professions education and health care delivery in rural communities, and community-campus partnerships in addressing the needs of rural populations and communities. Center personnel have participated in the development and implementation of a HRSA-funded Quentin Burdick Interdisciplinary Health Professions Fellowship. This program offers a curriculum to rural health practitioners focusing on interdisciplinary and practice-based models of health care delivery. Following is a sample of the curriculum.

Session 1		Orientation
Session 2		Rural Health Care Issues
Session 3		Integration of Interdisciplinary Health Care into Current Practice Models
Session 4		Population-Based Care and Rural Health Needs Assessment Strategies
Session 5		Mastering the Art of Information Searches
Session 6		Developing Your Interdisciplinary Model and Its Business Plan (Part 1)
Session 7		Value of Patient-Centered Interdisciplinary Care
Session 8		Understanding Clinical Guidelines
Session 9		Critical Review of the Research Literature
Session 10		Developing your Interdisciplinary Model and its Business Plan (Part 2)
Session 11		IRHA Conference and Pre-Conference Burdick Workshop
Session 12		Measuring and Evaluating Clinical and Patient Outcomes
Session 13		Planning for Project Sustainability
Session 14		Topic of Fellows'; Choice (TBA)
Session 15		Professional Ethics and the Delivery of Health Care
Session 16		Community Project
Session 17		Community Project
Session 18		Community Project
Session 19		Community Project
Session 20		Closing and Evaluation Activities

 

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