USD SSOM Expands FARM Program to Three More Locations, Welcoming Four Additional Students
FARM, the SSOM’s rural track program, is a unique opportunity for a select group of third-year (Pillar 2) students to complete 11 months of clinical training in rural communities.
Four additional students each year will be welcomed into the program, bringing the total number of FARM students to 17. Students will work at 10 sites across South Dakota, including three new communities: Aberdeen, Brookings and Mitchell. Current FARM sites are located in Chamberlain, Milbank, Mobridge, Parkston, Pierre, Spearfish and Vermillion. The new locations are expected to welcome their first students in March 2027.
“This expansion will further support the school’s mission of training physicians to practice in rural South Dakota,” explained Jason Wickersham, M.D., SSOM associate dean of rural medicine and professor of family medicine. “We are excited about the opportunity to grow the program into these towns and high-quality facilities.”
At the rural clinical sites, medical students participate in the full spectrum of rural medicine as they work alongside healthcare teams to provide supervised care. Students follow patients and their families over time in clinic, hospital and extended care settings, fostering an appreciation of the benefits of continuity in patient care.
Health partners and medical students have shown growing interest in participating in FARM. The expansion announcement follows more than a decade of steady growth since the program launched in 2014 with six students at five sites.
“This is an excellent opportunity for more students to experience the exceptional quality of healthcare provided in rural communities across our state, while also creating a valuable recruiting opportunity for participating facilities,” said Wickersham. “Several students have returned to their FARM sites to practice after completing their training. That connection benefits both the students and the communities they serve and helps to prepare high-quality physicians to practice in all areas of the state.”
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