A PUBLIC ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP TO TRAIN PSYCHIATRIC-RESIDENTS IN A RURAL MENTAL-HEALTH PROGRAM

Psychiatric residency training programs in rural communities face many well-known obstacles, including lack of structure, professional isola tion, and excessive demands on residents to provide clinical services. The author describes a psychiatric residency training program in rura l North Carolina developed through the collaboration between a rural f our-county area mental health program, a medical school department of psychiatry, and a state agency. Rather than focusing on the problems o f rural practice, the residency program emphasizes clinical and admini strative issues common to all practice settings, fosters an atmosphere in which all staff the training site support the program's educationa l mission, and encourages residents to identify with professionals who perform successfully in rural settings.