USD Sanford School of Medicine Leads Nation in Rural Practice Doctors
The recent national study rated USD’s medical school as no. 1 in the country for the proportion of medical graduates who practice in a rural area. This marks the second year in the last three years that South Dakota’s only school of medicine has achieved this distinction. There are 145 medical schools in the nation.
“There is a great need for physicians in rural areas, and we are proud that so many of our graduates choose to practice in these communities,” said Dr. Mary Nettleman, dean of the USD Sanford School of Medicine. “The medical school and its partners have created several successful programs that connect our students to small communities and rural areas in South Dakota, and the State of South Dakota has generously supported these important programs.”
Founded as a two-year medical program in 1907, USD’s medical school expanded to a four-year, M.D.-degree granting institution in 1974. The medical school has produced more than 3,800 alumni, and approximately 700 doctors currently serving in South Dakota are graduates of the medical school. More than 90 percent of the students enrolled in the medical school are South Dakota natives or have family connections to South Dakota.
