Seek out small town kids that love small town life and will be likely to return that you think have the capacity to care and learn.
Encourage them to do well and offer them a chance to talk and shadow you, even a day when they are visiting you for routine health care!
Support local health career efforts, find others to take up this role in your community, spouse, teacher, school leader, community organization. See what regional health people can do in this area.
Speak at rural colleges and for rural student groups. Look for opps to get rural students to fun activities or health fairs or projects.
Emphasize rural student groups. They are the ones with the greatest motivation to recruit future colleagues or replacements and are in the best position to do so.
Precept at residencies and interact with students whenever you can. Act as an advisor and mentor students and residents.
Emphasize long term preceptorships and long term resident rotations at rural sites.
If you have the calling and willingness, accept a leadership role in program, department, dean, or school, or government. Target admissions committee leadership.
Work to retain patients in you health system locally. By doing so you keep services up and also keep dollars from leaving your community because rural people do lots of things at urban locations, like shopping, etc. that they could do locally.
Practice community principles with administrators, bureaucrats, legislators, etc.
The Role of the Rural Community and Practitioner
Restoration of Communities, Nations, People: Role of Rural Family Docs