SALINA, Kan. (AP) – An effort to train doctors who will practice in rural areas will get a major boost in Kansas.

The University of Kansas Medical School opens its new campus in Salina on Monday with eight students.

University officials say the campus is the smallest four-year medical school in the country.

They’ll be training over video conferencing, in the offices of rural physicians and at the Salina Regional Health Center. William Cathcart-Rake, director of the Salina campus, says the school is designed to show prospective doctors that practicing in rural areas can be rewarding.

The first class of four-year medical students also began classes Monday at the medical school’s Wichita campus. Previously, those students had completed their first and second years of training in Kansas City, Kan.