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Rural Training Program

Wisconsin River and Prairie de Chen with Autumn colors, Wisconsin

The Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, offers a Rural Training Program designed to prepare residents for full-spectrum practice in rural communities while staying tightly integrated with the core program curriculum, faculty, and support.

RTP residents complete most of their training in Menomonie, Wisconsin, with selected core rotations at the regional referral center in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and one rotation (inpatient pediatrics) at the larger tertiary health center in Rochester, Minnesota. This wide range of rotations ensures breadth and depth of experience. RTP residents also have access to diverse elective rotations locally, nationally and internationally.

Curriculum

The Rural Training Program offers a comprehensive curriculum that prepares residents for full-spectrum family medicine practice in rural communities. Through continuity clinic, rural-focused rotations, integrated didactics, and leadership opportunities, residents develop the clinical skills and confidence needed to care for patients across a wide range of settings.

Structure and training

  • Continuity clinic: RTP residents (1–1–1 complement) see their panel of continuity patients at the MCHS Family Medicine Menomonie Clinic for all three years, ensuring uninterrupted panel continuity.
  • Sites and distances: Menomonie is only 22 miles (under a 30-minute drive) from Eau Claire, facilitating seamless integration for rotations, didactics, and continuity maternity care experiences.
  • Rural rotations specific to the RTP include:
    • Critical access hospital inpatient
    • Rural general surgery
    • Rural community health
    • Rural subspecialty medicine (dermatology, neurology, occupational medicine, otolaryngology, podiatry, urology and wound care)
    • Rural pediatrics
  • Didactics and integration: RTP residents fully participate in daily didactics (in person or virtually, depending on location) and are woven into the core program’s academic and support infrastructure. 

Curriculum highlights for rural practice 

  • Resource-limited decision-making, rural emergency care, and population health content threaded through didactics
  • Quality improvement, patient safety, and scholarly projects with mentorship from RTP and core faculty that dive into topics such as access to care, telehealth integration, and community-based interventions
  • Longitudinal maternity care experiences with delivery management in Eau Claire during years two and three
  • Teaching and leadership experiences in clinic and when assigned as the Family Medicine Teaching Service senior in Eau Claire during years two and three

Rotation schedule

The following schedule outlines the clinical experiences residents complete during each year of training. Rotations are designed to provide comprehensive preparation for full-spectrum family medicine practice in both rural and regional health care settings.

PGY-1

All rural experiences in Menomonie are marked with *

Rotation Length
Family medicine experience and orientation* 4+ weeks
Family medicine clinic continuity sessions* 1-2 half-day sessions a week throughout the year
Family medicine teaching service 8 weeks
Family medicine clinic block* 2 weeks
Maternity care 4 weeks
Hospitalist medicine 6 weeks
Health system management* 2 weeks
Emergency medicine 4 weeks
Pediatric clinic* 2 weeks
Musculoskeletal medicine* 2 weeks
General surgery*  2 weeks
Subspecialty medicine 1 (ENT and wound care)* 2 weeks
Emergency medicine – pediatrics* 4 weeks
Geriatrics* 2 weeks
Critical access hospital inpatient* 2 weeks
Family medicine teaching service nightfloat 1 week
Vacation/Paid time off 4 weeks
Elective time Dependent on distribution of vacation days

PGY-2

All rural experiences in Menomonie are marked with *

Rotation Length
Family medicine clinic continuity sessions* 2-3 half-day sessions a week throughout the year
Family medicine teaching service and nightfloat 4 weeks (half is nightfloat)
Family medicine clinic block* 3 weeks
Maternity care 4 weeks
Critical care  2 weeks
Hospice and palliative care 2 weeks
Endocrine 2 weeks
Evidence-based medicine and information mastery 2 weeks
Critical access hospital inpatient* 6 weeks
Community health* 3 weeks
Cardiology 2 weeks
Musculoskeletal medicine* 2 weeks
Women’s health (gynecology)* 4 weeks
Subspecialty medicine 2 (neurology, urology, podiatry)* 3 weeks
Inpatient pediatrics (in Rochester) 4 weeks
Elective time 5 weeks
Continuity maternity care Ongoing longitudinal experience through PGY-2 and PGY-3
Vacation/Paid time off 4 weeks (20 work days)

PGY-3

All rural experiences in Menomonie are marked with *

Rotation Length
Family medicine clinic continuity sessions*  3-4 half-day sessions a week throughout the year
Family medicine teaching service and nightfloat 4 weeks (half is nightfloat)
Family medicine clinic block* 3 weeks
Radiology 2 weeks
Behavioral health 2 weeks
Critical access hospital inpatient* 6 weeks
Pediatric outpatient clinic* 4 weeks
Rural emergency medicine*  4 weeks
Subspecialty medicine 3 (dermatology, occupational medicine)* 3 weeks
Health system management* 2 weeks
Musculoskeletal medicine*   2 weeks
Elective time    18+ weeks
Continuity maternity care Ongoing longitudinal experience through PGY-2 and PGY-3
Vacation/Paid time off 4 weeks (20 work days)

How to apply

Applicants submit via ERAS to the Family Medicine Residency (Eau Claire) and select the RTP track. The Rural Training Program is a separate track, allowing applicants to apply to and rank the core program and the rural track independently. Candidates for the RTP must register through the NRMP website and use the RTP-specific NRMP code 1328120C4. See the Application Process page for more details.

Track faculty

  • Sasha Ulrich, M.D., Rural Training Program Site Director
  • Lindsey Knopps, D.O.
  • Andrea Miller, M.D.
  • Kyja Stygar, M.D.

Curriculum

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