The University of Arizona College of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency at Banner Desert Medical Center hosts an innovative Rural Track (RT) Internal Medicine Residency.
Our goal is to train internists to provide comprehensive Internal Medicine (IM) patient care in resource-limited rural settings. This challenges our residents to acquire all the competencies typically required for urban practice, with additional emphasis on independent problem-solving. The lack of specialists and urban-level support staff necessitates the development of expanded clinical skills required to provide exceptional patient care to rural populations.
Rural IM residents receive the majority of their training in Payson Arizona, with selected rotations held at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa. Training sites in Payson include the Banner Payson Medical Center (a critical access hospital serving the heart of rural Arizona), a private practice clinic and a charity-based clinic.
Our RT curriculum is modeled after the practice of a successful rural internist, centered in a community clinic and providing fully-integrated longitudinal care. Residents follow their own clinic patients to the offices of visiting subspecialty consultants, the emergency room, hospital, operating room, skilled nursing facility, and back to the community clinic, incorporating telemedicine outreach to outlying rural communities.
Payson is located 90 miles north of Phoenix, with a diverse population of 16,000. It is bordered by Tonto Apache tribal lands and the Tonto National Forest. At 5,000 feet elevation, it is significantly cooler than Phoenix. Surrounding forests and lakes provide camping, hiking and fishing. Our goal is that our residents will become part of the community they serve, developing commitment and trust, and achieving professional satisfaction and happiness. Special housing arrangements have been established for RT residents in Payson.