Problem: Health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), by definition, do not retain sufficient health professionals to serve the population’s needs. Family physicians, like other health professionals working in HPSAs, are at risk for burnout. Physician burnout contributes to a vicious recruiting/retaining cycle adversely impacting the number of physicians working in these settings.

Background: A recent study identified factors that sustain family physicians working in urban, underserved areas including some common values, motivations, personal qualities, skills, and support systems.

Setting: Workshop Method: Utilizing an asset-based approach, participants will: (1) Identify factors that sustain family physicians’ motivation to work in underserved urban areas, (2) Review research derived factors that sustain family physicians’ vitality in these settings, (3) Design an educational intervention to prepare family physicians for this practice setting.

Outcome and Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to: (1) describe research-based factors that sustain family physicians in urban, underserved settings and (2) design instructional plans to prepare family physicians for underserved settings.

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Articulate factors that sustain family physicians working in HPSAs consistent with recent research findings.
2. Design an educational intervention to prepare family physicians who aspire/are practicing in urban underserved settings with setting specific knowledge/skills.