The rural healthcare crisis continues to deepen across America's medically underserved areas. Here's how accessible education and community-focused training are addressing critical healthcare workforce shortages.
When someone in rural America has a heart attack, the closest hospital could be almost an hour away. That distance can mean the difference between life and death. The CDC reports that rural Americans face higher mortality rates from the nation's leading preventable causes—heart disease, cancer and respiratory illness—largely because geographic isolation and healthcare workforce shortages have left millions without access to basic primary care.
The burden is deeply personal for those having lived in rural communities, like American University of the Caribbean alumna, Rebecca Gerrity, MD ‘19.
As the leading provider of healthcare education in the U.S., we're addressing these challenges by combining accessible online education, community-focused training and residency placements that help support healthcare professionals in the communities that need them most.
When Geography Determines Health
Nearly 75 million Americans live in Health Professional Shortage Areas, a federal designation that’s clinical in name but devastating in reality. According to the National Rural Health Association, these communities have approximately 40 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents, compared to 53 in urban areas. The math is clear: fewer doctors mean delayed care, longer drives, and preventable deaths.
For many, these statistics reflect lived experience. “I grew up in a rural community where access to healthcare wasn’t always guaranteed. My mother worked two jobs, and we relied on the local health department for services like vaccinations,” recalls Walden University alumna, Brittany Cox, PhD ‘22.
Closing these gaps requires training healthcare professionals who will stay in underserved areas, and that effort starts with how and where we educate them.
Adtalem's Efforts to Enhance Rural Health Initiatives
Over 40% of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine & Ross University School of Medicine residency placements are set to complete their training in federally designated Medically Underserved Areas. Additionally, more than 450 Adtalem students and alumni have been matched into primary care residencies, with over 55% that are studying or have graduated with a primary care focus entering health professional shortage areas.
The impact of these placements extends far beyond individual career paths. "As healthcare shortages persist, our graduates are stepping into high-demand roles, and ensuring more patients, particularly in shortage areas, receive the care they need," said Scott Liles, president, Adtalem Medical and Veterinary.
When the pipeline of healthcare professionals includes training within the communities that need physicians most, graduates don’t just understand rural healthcare, they’re already part of the solution.
Curriculum designed for community impact:
Since 2022, Ross University School of Medicine has integrated community-focused medicine into its curriculum. First-semester students explore how social factors influence health outcomes and develop cultural awareness through research projects rooted in local communities.
Walden University’s nursing and public health programs center on population health, preparing students to design community interventions, implement practices that close health equity gaps, and address underlying wellness factors in communities worldwide.
The Family Nurse Practitioner program at Chamberlain University equips graduates to address primary care access challenges, with particular emphasis on serving communities where physicians are scarce.
Education models that keep professionals local:
Through online and hybrid programs, students are able to pursue healthcare education in their local communities, allowing current professionals to advance their careers while staying rooted in the areas they serve.
Dr. Jill Price, Chief Academic Officer of Chamberlain University, explains how this works in practice: “We’re taking nursing education to the heart of rural America through a distributed clinical model. By partnering with local health systems, we’re building ‘grow your own’ workforce pipelines—so healthcare professionals can train, stay, and serve in the communities that need them most.
Scaling Access Through Innovation
Transforming rural healthcare demands supportive policies, cutting-edge technology, and robust partnerships. But as Adtalem Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Beard emphasizes, technology is only half the battle:
In communities where the nearest clinic might be hours away, AI-enabled tools can extend healthcare professionals' diagnostic capabilities and enable remote monitoring. But only if that provider enters the workforce already fluent in these technologies. That’s why our 2024 collaboration with Hippocratic AI goes beyond introducing new tools—it’s integrating AI competencies into core curriculum across Chamberlain University and Walden University.
Students build competencies in health information systems, AI applications and virtual care technologies, preparing them to deliver quality healthcare regardless of patient location. The program's impact has been immediate: in just six months, more than 3,000 healthcare professionals have enrolled thus far, with favorable satisfaction ratings.
Building on this foundation, our new partnership with Google Cloud takes AI education even further. We're launching the first comprehensive AI credentials program designed specifically for healthcare professionals at scale, powered by Google Cloud's industry-leading AI technology and featuring hands-on experience with tools reshaping clinical practice across all our institutions.
Beyond AI training, healthcare workforce development requires partnerships that align education with rural community needs. Through collaborations and integration of tools like Skillsetter, which simulates real patient cases for virtual diagnosis and treatment decisions, Walden students develop the judgment needed to assess and treat patients remotely, a critical skill when practicing in isolated communities.
When rural communities need timely access to care, the solution is simple: ensure someone nearby has the training to help. Through dedication to accessible education, strategic partnerships and technology that creates practice-ready clinicians, we’re preparing healthcare professionals ready to serve where they’re needed most.
For more information, email the Adtalem Communications Team: adtalemmedia@adtalem.com.
