The Residency Experience
Get an inside view of each year of residency with sample rotation schedules and learn how you can customize it for your practice.
View Full CurriculumExperience a diverse residency program that'll equip you to be a rural healthcare leader.
We're on a mission to train and prepare family physicians for practice in the rural communities of South Dakota and the Upper Midwest.
Through a hands-on approach, you’ll experience an education that emphasizes a broad knowledge base, solid procedural skills, a comfort level with telemedicine, and an ability to improvise. Rural medicine involves more than merely staffing the local healthcare facilities.
Watch Overview
Residency Testimonial
If you want a broad spectrum of training, this is where you should come.
Blaine Gibby, DO
Resident, Class of 2020
1/2
Residency Testimonial
What I like most about this program is that it reflects the type of practice I want to have in the future. You’re really seeing the full spectrum on a day-to-day basis.
Gavin Maurer, MD
Resident, Class of 2020
2/2
Welcome to Pierre, SD
Pierre is a friendly community that's a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Click below to explore what Pierre has to offer, and learn more about the community you'd call home for the majority of your residency.
Explore Our Community
79°
Lather up in SPF and visit one of the outdoor swimming pools!
A message from our program director
Our goal at Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency is to train competent, compassionate family physicians that are prepared to serve and lead in our rural communities. The State of South Dakota has invested considerable resources to expand the rural healthcare workforce, and we’re thrilled to be a part of solving the state’s physician shortage.
Residents in our program practice medicine hundreds of miles away from big referral centers, with the nearest non-critical access hospital more than 150 miles distant. Our resident physicians become very comfortable and competent in providing high-quality medical care in a limited-resource setting. They also engage in the community and participate in their patients' lives in ways that are less feasible in more anonymous, urban settings. These experiences prepare them to thrive in their future rural practices.
Rural training has many advantages, and if you have a pioneering spirit and plan to practice in a rural community, we invite you to join us! After your training, we are confident you will be well-positioned to provide full-spectrum care, effectively leveraging available resources.
Dr. Mark Huntington Program Director1/2
A message from our site director
Thank you for considering the Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency program as you progress into this exciting stage of training! As one of the first classes, you will play a significant role in shaping the culture of our program. You’ll be well positioned for rural medicine’s unique rewards and challenges through our program’s wide breadth of training. Having practiced rural medicine for over 40 years, I look forward to equipping you with the skills necessary to practice in medically underserved areas. I love teaching and consider it an honor that I began my medical career as a student and can end it as a teacher.
With significant financial backing by the State of South Dakota, we ascribe much of our program’s origination thanks to the state’s commitment to ensuring accessibility in primary care for all South Dakotans. We are eager to contribute to the work of adding more physicians to this part of the state and look forward to narrowing the primary care gap.
The first year of training takes place in Sioux Falls, where you will work alongside Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency co-residents to achieve high-volume obstetrics, inpatient, and critical care training. After year one, you will transition to Pierre, where we have incorporated ample elective time to ensure residents mold the second and third years to their future practice. We would love for you to experience the Pierre community and see what we can offer both professionally and recreationally; I know you won’t be disappointed.
Dr. Tom Huber Site Director2/2