Fostering rural physicians: the early success of the rural scholars track at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine--New Orleans.

Louisiana is a predominantly rural state, with 86 percent of its parishes classified as areas of Primary Care Health Professional Shortages by the US Department of Health and Human Services. As a result, individuals living in these areas have limited access to primary medical care. In addition, data derived from the Association of American Medical Colleges Center for Workforce Studies clearly indicate that fewer and fewer medical-school graduates are choosing primary-care specialties as a career. This national trend has been noted here at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) School of Medicine - New Orleans. In order to address this decline, the School of Medicine created the Rural Scholars Track with the objective of producing primary-care physicians for Louisiana, in particular for rural areas. While the program is still in its early years, the results have been positive and hold hope for the future of health care in the state.