Country Doctor Program

Bringing 800 Doctors to Towns in Need for 60 Years

For medical students grewing up in a city, practicing in a small town may never cross their minds. Illinois Farm Bureau's Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program (RIMSAP) sparks that thinking by offering incetives to students who make the commitment to serve a rural community when they become doctors.

The History
IFB teamed up with the Illinois State Medical Society in 1948 to create the RIMSAP program. If medical students agree to proactice in rural communities for at least three years after they graduate, RIMSAP provides a low-interests student loans and recommendations to get into University of Illinois College of Medicine. It's not easy to get into either the U of I medical school or the RIMSAP porgram, but for those who do, its rewards are great. 

The Results
More than 800 students have completed the program. Sure, some have fufilled their commitment and moved on, but others have fallen in love with small-town living and have provided decades of quality healthcare for their neighbors.