1)Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) at the University of Minnesota is a 9–month rural medicine program whose primary goal is to increase the supply of rural primary care physicians.
2)Over 40% of RPAP graduates practice in non–metropolitan areas and contribute significantly to the supply of physicians in rural areas.
3)In recent years, Japanese medical schools are admitting more students with a rural background. It is important to develop systematic and comprehensive rural medicine programs for students interested in rural medicine in order to increase the supply of rural physicians.