GME Development Resources
Resources for Rural and Underserved GME Development
Developing graduate medical education requires coordinated planning, reliable data, strong community partnerships, and a clear understanding of accreditation and financing. The resources below offer practical guidance for organizations exploring new or expanded residency training in rural and underserved communities.
These resources are provided to support continued learning and planning before, during, and after the summit.
Featured Guide
A Guide to GME Development in Rural and Underserved Areas
- Implementation Guide
- 31 Pages
This practical guide outlines pathways for developing new sponsoring institutions, residency programs, participating training sites, and rural track programs. It addresses community needs assessment, pre-accreditation planning, accreditation applications, implementation, recruitment, retention, and long-term program development.
Developed through a collaboration between the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Rural Residency Planning and Development and Teaching Health Center Technical Assistance Center.
Additional Resources
Continue Your GME Planning
Explore funding information, research, technical assistance, tools, and practical guidance for rural residency development.
- Funding and Program Information
Health Resources and Services Administration
Rural Residency Planning and Development Program
Learn about the federal Rural Residency Planning and Development Program, which provides funding and support for creating new residency training programs in rural areas. The resource includes information about eligible specialties, allowable startup costs, sustainability expectations, technical assistance, and current funding opportunities.
hrsa.gov
Explore the RRPD Program (opens in a new tab) - Research Article
Journal of Graduate Medical Education
A Roadmap to Rural Residency Program Development
Hawes EM, Weidner A, Page C, et al. Journal of Graduate Medical Education. 2020;12(4):384–387.
This open-access article presents a practical roadmap for rural residency development, including the importance of community need, organizational readiness, partnerships, financing, accreditation, recruitment, and sustained technical assistance.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govOpen access
Read the Article (opens in a new tab) - Technical Assistance and Tools
RuralGME
Rural Graduate Medical Education
Access tools, technical assistance, research, rural residency program profiles, training-site information, webinars, and other resources designed to support organizations developing rural residency training.
ruralgme.org
Visit RuralGME (opens in a new tab)
Resources are provided for informational and educational purposes. Links to external organizations do not constitute endorsement by VHWDA. External content, availability, and accessibility are managed by the respective organizations.
Please confirm current program requirements, application deadlines, and funding information directly with the originating organization.
Bring these resources into the conversation.
Review the materials, identify the questions most relevant to your community or institution, and join colleagues from across Virginia at the 2026 Virginia GME Summit.