Getting Started
What is a Teaching Health Center Residency?
A Teaching Health Center is an accredited medical or dental residency program in which trainees spend time training in health centers.
THCPD programs include THCGME medical and dental residency programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). THCGME programs train residents in health centers producing physicians who will practice in underserved settings.
Featured Story
Full Circle Health Pediatrics Residency of Idaho is a distinguished FQHC/THC-based program located in Boise, ID. Through long-standing partnerships with St. Luke's Children's Hospital—the most geographically isolated children's hospital in the region—Full Circle Health is uniquely positioned to provide care to children from surrounding communities. This partnership allows the residency program to serve young patients with chronic and complex health needs.
Check out Full Circle Health Pediatrics Residency of Idaho
Boise, ID
Full Circle Health Pediatrics Residency of Idaho recruited its first class of residents in 2023. This program recruits four residents per year for a total complement of 12 trainees. Visit the May 2024 Newsletter for more information.
Learn about their journeyInterested in THCGME
Teaching Health Centers are a critical tool in recruiting and retaining future physicians and dentists who will serve underserved populations in health centers. The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program provides community-based residency training anchored in health centers as opposed to the traditional model of hospital-based training. Evidence shows THCGME graduates are more likely to practice close to their training sites and in rural areas, and to care for underserved patients while maintaining a broader scope of practice.
What are the steps to starting a THCGME residency program?
The Teaching Health Center Planning and Development (THCPD) Technical Assistance Center created a framework to highlight the 5 key stages of program development. These include: exploration, design, development, start-up, and maintenance. The roadmap provides additional detail on each step to support the development of a functional, accredited, and financially sustainable program.
What funding is available to support Teaching Health Center (THCGME) residency development?
The Teaching Health Center Planning and Development (THCPD) grant program supported the launch of new programs in 2021 and 2022. There is not a current funding opportunity available for THCPD.
Programs may consider other state or federal sources to support start-up costs associated with establishing a THCGME program. Planning and development grants may help offset costs associated with development including accreditation costs, faculty development, resident recruitment, faculty, and administrative staff.
Funding for the THCGME program is authorized by congress to cover the costs of training medical and dental residents in community-based clinics. Eligible medical specialties include family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and geriatrics. The THCGME funding opportunities are announced on Grants.Gov as they are available.
Current and New Grant Recipients
The TAC provides technical assistance, tools, and resources to current and future grant recipients to help overcome significant challenges and barriers involved in developing new community-based residency programs. Support is offered in many ways, including:
- Matching each grant recipient with an experienced advisor to create personalized action plans
- Offering individualized, in-depth consultations, when needed, through our preferred partnered consultant organizations
- Hosting monthly webinars on topics such as financial sustainability, faculty, resident recruitment, and more
- Providing resources, slides, and webinar recordings on the Portal for easy access
- Hosting an annual grant recipient meeting where all grant recipients, advisors, and partners come to network and learn from each other
Top Resources
Teaching Health Center Planning and Development (THCPD) Technical Assistance Center Roadmap
Use the roadmap to learn details on each step to support the development of a functional, accredited, and financially sustainable program.
Teaching Health Center GME Development Portal
Login and register for a free account! The portal is open to THCPD grant recipients and others interested in THC GME. Access free resources, funding webinars, and timeline for accreditation and you will be added to our listserv to receive periodic updates and information.
