Collaborative Rural Curriculum of Rural Medical Educators of the
National Rural Health Association

Rural Medical Educators Conference
National Rural Health Association
May 22, 2001 3:15-4:45"

Documents used to compile list:
Special Considerations in the Preparation of Family Practice Residents Interest in Rural Practice, Reprint #289-A http://faculty.washington.edu/dacosta/specialconsider.html
Rural Family Medicine Website http://www.ruralfamilymedicine.org
Issues of the Pipeline of Rural Medical Education, Residency Training, David Acosta, M.D. http://www.ruralfamilymedicine.org/educational%20strategies/residencytraining.htm
Proposed Document Revision and/or Development Core Curriculum Guidelines: Rural Practice Training for Family Physicians 9/15/1998 AAFP Rural Health Committee http://www.ruralfamilymedicine.org/document%20revision%20development.pdf
Rural Family Practice, You Can Make a Difference, AAFP Monograph, 1997

Rural Issues
    Rural Hospitals
    Rural Emergency Medical System
    Rural Mental Health
    Rural Migrant Workers
    Rural Physician's Office/Practice Management
        * Professional and personal time management
        * Leadership and adult lifelong learner skills
        * Organizational management skills
        * Delivery of medical care utilizing the team model, including development of collaborative and interactive
            relationships with nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, physical therapists, home health
            nurses and hospice workers
        * Applications of computer systems and other information technologies pertinent to clinical practice and medical
            practice management, including office and hospital information management systems, remote access to the
            internet, use of websites and computer-based systems for medical library searches and patient education
            databases
        * Office human resource management and systems development
        * Small office systems development and management including development of patient education materials,
            office policies and procedures, clinical care plans, quality assurance (hospital and office) and strategic
            planning mechanisms
        * Familiarity with economic and political issues identified common to successfully practice medicine and manage
            a business in a small rural community setting
        * Conflict resolution and negotiation skills
        * Knowledge and experience with reimbursement systems, contracts, government funding of rural programs
    Non-physician rural providers
        * Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, chiropractors, naturopaths, homeopaths
    Rural Telemedicine
        * Use of telemedicine, telehealth distance learning, video conference resources for communication, consultation,
            professional networking, and continuing education needs
    Rural Nursing Homes
    Rural Public Health
    Professional Isolation
    Information/Evidence-Based Medicine Management
    Computer Resources
    Rural Physician/Family Lifestyle
        * Understand unique social issues of rural practice, community and lifestyle, call, off hours school duties, athletics,
            leadership, privacy issues and professional isolation
    Rural America
        * Demographics
        * Culture and Social Perspectives
        * Economics and Rural Development
        * Rural Occupations
        * Rural Environment
    Rural Policy
        * Rural research centers
        * Leadership skills
        * Recruitment and retention issues
        * Government rural policies
        * Political advocacy
        * National Rural Health Association Policy Board
    Rural Resources
        * Federal organizations/resources
        * State organizations/resources
        * Local organizations/resources
        * Private organization/resources
        * Information Databases
    Rural Literature
    Rural Safety
    Rural Networks
        * Provider availability
        * Consultant availability
        * Tertiary Care support
        * Small group and solo practices
    Rural Safety Net
    Rural Health Clinical Topics
        *Agromedicine Literature and Reference Books         * Animal Handling
        * Agriculture in General                                              * Dermatologic Problems
        * Children in Agriculture                                             * Water Contamination
        * Chemical Hazards                                                   * Special Hazards of Veterinarians
        * Role of Antibiotics in feed                                        * Hypothermia
        * Rural drug addiction                                                 * Hyperthermia
        * Rural domestic violence                                            * Infections-Zoonoses   
        * Wilderness medicine                                                 * Fungal Infections
        * Fishing industry                                                         * Protozoa Cryptosporidiosis
        * Mental health of farm families                                    * Tick Borne Infections
        * Farm Equipment                                                       * Aids in Rural America
        * Electrocution Risk and Treatment                              * Cancer Risk among Agricultural Workers
        * Chronic Accumulated Disease                                   * Rural Disabilities
        * Lung Disease                                                            * Rural Traffic Safety
        * Farm Facilities Hazards

Skills and Skill Knowledge Enhancement for Rural Practice
    Women's Health
        * Network of obstetrics care-not all rural areas offer OB services
        * Core Guidelines in Women's Health http://www.aafp.org/edu/guide/rep261.htm
        * Special Rural Emphasis
            - Gestational Diabetes
            - Multiple Gestation Care
            - Ultrasonography
            - Outlet Forceps
            - Vacuum Extraction
            - Management of Breech Delivery
            - Emergency Care
            - Cesarean section training
            - Enhanced gynecologic skills
                # D&C
                # Colposcopy
                # Cervical Biopsy and Treatment
                # Endometrial biopsy
                # Postpartum Tubal Ligation
            - Enhanced neonatal stabilization
                # Intubation
                # Umbilical line placement
                # Initial sepsis and fluid management
                # Preparation for transport

Trauma and Emergency Care
    * Emergency Cardiac care (management of Acut MI, thrombolysis initiation, arrhythmia's and cardiogenic shock
    * Occupational injuries of rural and agricultural areas
    * Major trauma (initial management and stabilization, preparation for transfer)
    * Enhanced trauma procedural skills
    * Pericardiocentesis
    * Tracheal intubation
    * Cricothyroidotomy
    * Thoracentesis
    * Paracentesis
    * Tracheostomy
    * Central venous line insertion
    * Advanced interpretation of acute condition radiographs (extremities, chest, spine, abdomen, etc)
    * Complex laceration repair
    * Psychiatric emergencies including techniques for stabilization, transfer and referral
    * Poisoning and exposure to toxic substances including use of computerized reference materials and poison control
        centers
    * ACLS, ATLS, ALSO, PALS certifications

Occupational Health
    * Agricultural
    * Industrial
    * Environmental
    * Infectious Diseases
    * Communicable Diseases
    * Mining
    * Workplace Stressors

Critical Care
     Enhanced ICU/CCU experience, management of unstable cardiac and other critically ill patients with an emphasis on
      the use of technology commonly available in rural hospitals and stabilizing for transfer

Surgery and Procedural Skills
    * Surgical emergencies evaluation and management 
    * First surgical assisting and postoperative care skills in collaboration with outreach surgeons
    * Enhanced surgical training if the resident expects to function as a primary surgeon
    * Consultation and collaborative management with local and outreach surgeons
    * Office procedures such as vasectomy, gastroscopy, sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy, dermatalogic procedures,
        treadmill testing, fine-needle aspiration and biopsy of breast and other superficial tissues, joint aspiration and
        injection, conscious sedation, regional and local anesthesia
    * Placement and management of catheters, venous and arteria lines

Musculoskeletal Medicine and Sports Medicine
    * Closed reduction and casting of common fractures
    * Advanced casting
    * Reduction of dislocations
    * Splinting and referral of complex and open fractures
    * Radiographic recognition of common and serious fractures
    * Team physician services, athletic training
    * Consultation and management with local and outreach orthopedic surgeons
    * Soft tissue injury management

Geriatrics
    * Advance home health, hospice and case management of the older patient including reimbursement systems,                   documentation of care and team based care, functional assessment
    * Enhanced skilled nursing faculty experience
    * Prescription and utilization of Durable Medical Equipment and goods
    * Consideration of elder care in a rural or remote setting

Child's Health
    * Trauma Care
    * Chronic childhood illness
    * Growth disorders
    * Learning disorders

Behavioral Medicine
    * General Counseling                      * Domestic Violence
    * Psychopharmacology                   * Palliative Care
    * Crisis Intervention Skills               * Case Management team approach to chronically mentally ill
    * Family and parental counseling    * Team approach to behavioral health
    * Marital counseling                        * Short term psychotherapy
    * Developmental problems

Community-Oriented Primary Care
    * Community health assessment
    * Experiences that foster community-oriented delivery of health care and the role of family physicians in community
       public health, school health, community leadership, community development and political action
    * Public health education principles
    * Knowledge and skills in community sanitation systems and water quality assurance
    * Exposure to the role of family physician as medical examiner
    * Role of the family physician as medical director
    * Role of the family physicians in interaction with delivery of medical care at correctional facilities

Other identified needs

Nephrology, Rheumatology, Allergy, Nutrition