UW-Madison makes an effort to boost the number of doctors practicing in rural areas. Dean Byron Crouse with the Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine, or WARM, says rural areas face a looming physician shortage. Crouse created the Academy, which currently has five students. They will spend the first two years at UW Medical School learning the basics, then head to Marshfield's Rice Lake Clinic to get a feel for the unique challenges of rural health care. Crouse says the best predictor for serving a rural area as a doctor is coming from a rural area, although that doesn't mean the Academy will only admits students from rural areas. The Academy eventually hopes to train 25 doctors each year.
