Someone who knows a great country doctor – the kind of physician who still makes house calls and accepts the occasional apple pie or roast turkey for a fee – might want to nominate that man or woman for the Country Doctor of the Year Award.

Presented by Staff Care, Inc., a national healthcare staffing firm, the Country Doctor of the Year Award honors the spirit, skill and dedication of America’s rural medical practitioners. Now in its 24th year, the Country Doctor of the Year Award has been presented to renowned rural physicians such as the 2014 Country Doctor of the Year, Dr. John Otho “Rob” Marsh of Middlebrook, Va., one of the most decorated military physicians in the United States, and to Dr. Elton Lehman, of Mount Eaton, Ohio, who is known for his dedicated treatment of Amish patients. Past recipients of the award have been featured in numerous national media outlets.

As part of the award, Staff Care will provide the 2017 Country Doctor of the Year with a temporary physician for two weeks at no charge, a service valued at $10,000. According to Staff Care President Sean Ebner, rural doctors often cannot find physicians to cover their practices and so have difficulty taking vacations.

“We hope the award winner enjoys some well-deserved rest,” Ebner said, “but our real intent is to honor an outstanding country doctor and to shine a light on the great work that rural physicians continue to do even as their numbers dwindle.”

Nominations for the 2017 Country Doctor of the Year Award will be accepted for physicians who practice in rural communities and who are engaged in such primary care areas as general practice, family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics. Anyone can nominate a physician, including friends, patients, co-workers or family members, and all stories or anecdotes about the physician’s practice are welcomed.

Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Country Doctor of the Year Award web site at http://www.staffcare.com/about-us/country-doctor-award/, or by calling 800-685-2272. Completed nominations must be received no later than Oct. 15, 2016.