(a) The General Assembly finds that there is a shortage of physicians practicing within rural areas of the state.
(b) The General Assembly intends to support the creation of the Arkansas Rural Preceptorship Program, which will:(1) Combine the resources of public and private organizations;(2) Introduce medical students to a rural community to let the medical students experience the benefits of a rural community while raising a family and practicing medicine;(3) Use a public-private partnership arrangement to assist rural communities in attracting new physicians to the rural communities; and(4) Provide funding for preceptorship programs in rural communities.
(1) Combine the resources of public and private organizations;
(2) Introduce medical students to a rural community to let the medical students experience the benefits of a rural community while raising a family and practicing medicine;
(3) Use a public-private partnership arrangement to assist rural communities in attracting new physicians to the rural communities; and
(4) Provide funding for preceptorship programs in rural communities.