APPLAUSE.

THEN I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO KAOMI LEE.

>> Kaomi: THAT WAS FUN.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OUR "ALMANAC" FANS.

ST.

CLOUD IS NOW HOME TO THE STATE'S NEWEST FOUR-YEAR MEDICAL SCHOOL, THE FIRST ONE IN 50 YEARS.

IT'S NAMED THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL SCHOOL CENTRACARE REGIONAL CAMPUS - ST.

CLOUD.

THE MISSION IS TO TRAIN FUTURE PHYSICIANS WHO HAVE A PASSION FOR SERVING RURAL COMMUNITIES.

I VISITED THE CAMPUS A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND HERE'S WHAT I FOUND.

>> HEY!

>> HI, CHARLIE!

>> Kaomi: ETHAN BAKER IS A 26-YEAR-OLD FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT FROM SAUK RAPIDS.

HE AND HIS WIFE AND 5-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER LIVE IN A TWO-BEDROOM, TWO-BATHROOM APARTMENT.

IT'S ADJACENT TO THE NEW UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL SCHOOL IN St.

CLOUD.

THE SPACIOUS APARTMENT WITH AMPLE AMENITIES IS NOT ONLY CONVENIENT -- THERE'S.

>> THERE'S A PERIOD OF TIME I DIDN'T DEPOT OUTSIDE FOR LIKE THREE DAYS.

>> Kaomi: HE'S ALSO PART OF A FIRST-YEAR COHORT OF ONLY 24 STUDENTS.

IT'S INTENTIONAL AND THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED HIM.

>> EASILY THE BEST PART ABOUT BEING HERE.

WE KNOW EACH OTHER'S PARTNERS, WE KNOW EACH OTHER'S DOGS.

>> Kaomi: THE SCHOOL IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH SAN TRA CARE, ONE OF THE LARGEST HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN THE STATE.

THE MISSION IS TO TRAIN AND ENCOURAGE MORE PHYSICIANS TO PRACTICE RURAL MEDICINE.

THE CLASSES ARE THE SAME AS THE UNIVERSITY'S OTHER MEDICAL SCHOOL CAMPUSES IN DULUTH AND THE TWIN CITIES.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT HERE IS A FOCUS ON WHO WAS RECRUITED.

>> WHEN YOU GREW UP HERE, IT'S WHAT YOU LIKE.

AND YOU LIKE WHERE YOU GROW UP, I FEEL.

>> WE HAVE KNOWN THAT THERE'S A CHALLENGE IN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PHYSICIANS.

>> Kaomi: ACCORDING TO THIS NATIONAL STUDY, PHYSICIANS WITH A RURAL BACKGROUND WERE MORE LIKELY TO CHOOSE A RURAL PRACTICE.

THAT COMPARES TO ONLY 13.8% OF RURAL DOCTORS WHO WERE FROM URBAN CITIES.

MOST MEDICAL SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED IN LARGE CITIES.

UNTIL THIS YEAR, U OF M MEDICAL STUDENT AT THE DULUTH CAMPUS COMPLETED THEIR THIRD AND FOURTH YEARS IN THE TWIN CITIES.

>> SO Dr.

HOL MAN, THE CEO OF CENTRACARE AND Dr.

JACOB TOLL LREADY, AT THAT TIME THE DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL SCHOOL, GOT TOGETHER.

>> Kaomi: THE TWO LEADERS DECIDED TO COMBINE THE EXPERTISE OF THE U OF M WITH CENTRACARE'S RURAL-BASED SYSTEM.

A CENTRACARE PEDIATRICIAN SERVES AS THE SCHOOL'S ASSISTANT DEAN.

SHE SAYS ABOUT HALF OF THIS INCOMING CLASS WERE ONLY ABLE TO ATTEND MEDICAL SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE St.

CLOUD LOCATION.

>> OUR STUDENTS ARE CHOOSING TO COME TO OUR CAMPUS.

WE WERE HEIR FIRST CHOICE.

BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE IN THIS COMMUNITY.

>> Kaomi: AND DONORS WANT THEM, TOO.

THE CENTRACARE FOUNDATION RAISED MORE THAN $43 MILLION, THAT INCLUDES SCHOLARSHIPS AND BUILDING A $19 MILLION APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR SOME 90 STUDENTS.

CENTRACARE CONTRIBUTED THE MEDICAL SCHOOL BUILDING, THE STATE KICKED IN $15 MILLION FOR THE BUILDOUT AND ACADEMICS.

LIGHT-FILLED CLASSROOMS AND STUDY ROOMS ARE NAMED AFTER THE HOMETOWNS OF EACH STUDENT IN THIS INAUGURAL CLASS.

AND THE STUDENTS WILL GET HANDS-ON TRAINING AT SOME OF CENTRACARE'S REGIONAL CLINICS.

>> IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME FOR US TO SEE THE FRUITS OF THAT.

>> Kaomi: HENNING SMITH IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT.

SHE'S ALSO THE CO-DIRECTOR OF THE U OF M'S RURAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER AND IS ON THE BOARD OF CENTRACARE.

>> MED SCHOOL IS A LONG ROAD AND THEN YOU DO RES CANNES AND A FELLOWSHIP AFTER THAT.

SO IT WILL BE A WHILE BEFORE THEY CAN BE FULLY PRACTICING PHYSICIANS IN MINNESOTA.

BUT I EXPECT THAT THAT'S GOING TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

>> Kaomi: ACCORDING TO NEW DATA FROM THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, MORE THAN 43% OF MINNESOTA'S RURAL PHYSICIANS ARE OLDER THAN 54 YEARS OLD.

20% ARE OVER 65.

MORE THAN A QUARTER EXPECT TO RETIRE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

THAT'S COMPARED TO NEARLY 70% UNDER THE AGE OF 55 N THE STATE'S URBAN CENTERS.

AND THE RURAL PIPELINE EMAINS SMALL.

ONLY 30% OF RURAL PHYSICIANS ARE SUPERVISING A MEDICAL RESIDENT.

AMONG URBAN DOCTORS, 82% ARE.

>> WHAT'S EQUALLY IMPORTANT, BESIDES THE NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL SLOTS, IS OPENING UP ADDITIONAL RESIDENCY SLOTS.

BECAUSE IT'S NOT SO MUCH WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL THAT INFLUENCES WHERE YOU'LL PRACTICE, IT'S WHERE YOU GET YOUR RESIDENCY.

AND IF YOU GRADUATE 24 STUDENTS FROM St.

CLOUD IN FOUR YEARS, BUT THEY CAN'T FIND RESIDENCIES HERE IN MINNESOTA, AND THEY GO ELSEWHERE, THEN YOU WILL HAVE TRAINED THEM HALFWAY AND YOU WILL HAVE THEM -- AND YOU WILL HAVE LOST THEN.

>> Kaomi: THE RURAL URBAN DISPARITY IS ACUTE AMONG FAMILY DOCTORS AND SPECIALISTS.

IN FACT, IT SAYS THERE ARE LESS THAN 20 PSYCHIATRISTS PRACTICING IN SMALL TOWNS IN MINNESOTA RIGHT NOW.

FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT ETHAN PAIRK MAY ONE DAY BE -- BAKER MAY ONE DAY BE ONE OF THEM.

>> IT'S DEFINITELY EASIER IN SMALLER COMMUNITIES TO S