History & Affiliations
The Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency program was born out of the Governor’s Primary Care Task Force Committee in 2012, with the goal of providing access to primary care for all South Dakotans. This task force was established to evaluate the healthcare needs of the state and ensure the demands of our rural communities are being met. One of the key findings was the need for additional primary care physicians, particularly family medicine, to provide a solid basis of care in our rural pockets of the state.
In an effort of trying to increase the workforce of family medicine physicians, the State of South Dakota has invested considerable resources into programs throughout the state. Their financial support has allowed for the Center for Family Medicine’s development of a second residency program, the Pierre Rural Family Medicine Residency program. The original program, Sioux Falls Family Medicine Residency, was established in 1973 and has graduated over 400 resident physicians, with 75% of these physicians practicing in South Dakota and the contiguous states.
The responsibility of being a part of solving the state’s physician shortage is not something we take lightly, and we are honored to be entrusted with this key task. Currently, data shows that a majority of resident physicians will remain practicing within a 100-mile radius of where they train. With that information, we feel it is our responsibility to not only meet but exceed the healthcare needs of South Dakotans for years to come.
