---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 293m"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "293m"
heading: "Rural physician training grants"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/293m"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter V — Health Professions Education"
  - "Part C — Training in Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, Physician Assistants, General Dentistry, and Pediatric Dentistry"
  - "Subpart 2 — training in underserved communities"
---

# §293m. Rural physician training grants

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c), acting through the [Administrator](/usc/42/4005.md?p=1) of the Health Resources and [Services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) Administration, shall establish a grant [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) for the purposes of assisting eligible entities in recruiting students most likely to practice medicine in underserved rural communities, providing rural-focused training and experience, and increasing the number of recent allopathic and osteopathic medical [school](/usc/42/300j–21.md?p=6) graduates who practice in underserved rural communities.
- (b) **Eligible entities—** In order to be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall—
  - (1) be a [school](/usc/42/300j–21.md?p=6) of allopathic or osteopathic medicine accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) or association approved by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) for this purpose, or any combination or [consortium](/usc/42/17061.md?p=4) of such [schools](/usc/42/300j–21.md?p=6); and
  - (2) submit an application to the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) that includes a certification that such entity will use amounts provided to the institution as described in [subsection (d)(1)](#d-1).
- (c) **Priority—** In awarding grant funds under this section, the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall give priority to eligible entities that—
  - (1) demonstrate a record of successfully training students, as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c), who practice medicine in underserved rural communities;
  - (2) demonstrate that an existing academic [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) of the eligible entity produces a high percentage, as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c), of graduates from such [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) who practice medicine in underserved rural communities;
  - (3) demonstrate rural community institutional partnerships, through such mechanisms as matching or contributory funding, documented in-kind [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) for implementation, or existence of training partners with interprofessional expertise in community health center training locations or other similar facilities; or
  - (4) submit, as part of the application of the entity under [subsection (b)](#b), a plan for the long-term tracking of where the graduates of such entity practice medicine.
- (d) **Use of funds—**
  - (1) **Establishment—** An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall use the funds made available under such grant to establish, improve, or expand a rural-focused training [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) (referred to in this section as the “[Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4)”) meeting the requirements described in this subsection and to carry out such [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4).
  - (2) **Structure of Program—** An eligible entity shall—
    - (A) enroll no fewer than 10 students per class year into the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4); and
    - (B) develop criteria for admission to the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) that gives priority to students—
      - (i) who have originated from or lived for a period of 2 or more years in an underserved rural community; and
      - (ii) who express a commitment to practice medicine in an underserved rural community.
  - (3) **Curricula—** The [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) shall require students to enroll in didactic coursework and clinical experience particularly applicable to medical practice in underserved rural communities, including—
    - (A) clinical rotations in underserved rural communities, and in applicable specialties, or other coursework or clinical experience deemed appropriate by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c); and
    - (B) in addition to core [school](/usc/42/300j–21.md?p=6) curricula, additional coursework or training experiences focused on medical issues prevalent in underserved rural communities.
  - (4) **Residency placement assistance—** Where available, the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) shall assist all students of the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) in obtaining clinical training experiences in locations with postgraduate [programs](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) offering residency training opportunities in underserved rural communities, or in local residency training [programs](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) that support and train physicians to practice in underserved rural communities.
  - (5) **Program student cohort support—** The [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) shall provide and require all students of the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) to participate in group activities designed to further develop, maintain, and reinforce the original commitment of such students to practice in an underserved rural community.
- (e) **Annual reporting—** An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall submit an annual report to the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) on the success of the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4), based on criteria the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) determines appropriate, including the residency [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) selection of graduating students who participated in the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4).
- (f) **Regulations—** Not later than 60 days after March 23, 2010, the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall by regulation define “underserved rural community” for purposes of this section.
- (g) **Supplement not supplant—** Any eligible entity receiving funds under this section shall use such funds to supplement, not supplant, any other Federal, [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f), and local funds that would otherwise be expended by such entity to carry out the activities described in this section.
- (h) **Maintenance of effort—** With respect to activities for which funds awarded under this section are to be expended, the entity shall agree to maintain expenditures of non-Federal amounts for such activities at a level that is not less than the level of such expenditures maintained by the entity for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the entity receives a grant under this section.
- (i) **Authorization of appropriations—** There are authorized to be appropriated $4,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2013.

## Source credit

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 749B, as added Pub. L. 111–148, title X, § 10501(l)(2), Mar. 23, 2010, 124 Stat. 1000.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 293m, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VII, § 749, as added Pub. L. 102–408, title I, § 102, Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 2043, authorized grants and contracts for development of programs in general practice of dentistry, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 105–392, title I, § 102(4), Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3539.