The Rural Scholars Fellowship (RSF) offers primary care providers—physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants—an amazing opportunity to become leaders in rural health care at VA and develop the solutions for the challenges facing rural Veterans.
Offering better outcomes
The RSF offers participants a full-time salary and part-time patient load, providing protected time for immersive experiences, mentorship, coursework, training, and support to address the unique health care challenges faced by Veterans living in rural communities.
During the two-year fellowship, participants divide work time between rural clinical practice and fellowship activities. In turn, the fellowship covers the costs of gap coverage for these facilities to make sure patients receive the care they need and expect from VA.
Fellowship activities include leadership training and virtual sessions in health care improvement and innovation. With the assistance of a mentor, participants also develop an innovation project at their facilities, which is designed to address the health care barriers that may be experienced in rural facilities.
Previous innovation projects sponsored through the RSF include reducing strain on rural emergency departments, reducing medication discrepancies for rural Veterans, improving the use of immersive technology for physical therapy, and improving integration of non-VA medical records.
Meeting Veterans where they live
The RSF was developed through VA’s Office of Rural Health (ORH) with a goal of supporting the 4+ million Veterans who call rural communities home. With more than 4 million Veterans living in rural communities, VA has devoted many resources to reaching those Veterans who make their homes outside urban areas.
These Veterans choose rural life for many reasons. For some, it’s a matter of being closer to family, friends, and the familiar. For others, it may be the greater sense of privacy, the lower cost of living, or the allure of open space. Whatever the reason, they may also experience health care challenges amplified by their longer distance to health care facilities.
Providers who work in rural areas can often feel isolated from peers and may lack time for professional development, offering an additional challenge to recruitment and retention in the more rural regions of our nationwide health care system.
The RSF helps us bridge those gaps for Veterans and for providers. Through this program, we help secure the best care possible for the Veterans who rely on us and encourage the next generation of VA leaders to lead and innovate.
Finding the right candidates
RSF is a competitive fellowship, and is open to physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. However, other specialties may be considered on a case-by-case basis, provided that participants are engaged in some facet of primary care. Candidates must also work at a VA clinic that is considered 50% or more rural.
For those newly joining VA and onboarding to a rural facility, or those interested in a rural facility, you can still apply for this fellowship, with the goal of getting to know VA with the help of your RSF mentor. After you’ve completed clinical orientation, you can begin the fellowship cycle as a “pre-fellow” and join as a first-year fellow the following program year.
The next round of fellowship begins on July 1, 2025, but applications are due Nov. 1, 2024.
Work at VA
Learn more about the RSF, and how we improve the lives of Veterans in rural communities.
- READ more about the Rural Scholars Fellowship (PDF).
- WATCH our video on rural workforce initiatives.
- LEARN about other training programs through the Office of Rural Health.
- EXPLORE the benefits of a VA career.
