East Tennessee, in general, is a mountainous region with elevations of more than 6,600 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. This grand division contains the fertile valley of East Tennessee which lies between the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. The Plateau is a tableland with an average elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level.

East Tennessee has 13 hospitals throughout the region with over 1,500 acute care beds. Even though many of these hospitals are small, they pride themselves in maintaining the highest level of technology possible. These hospitals are community-based and provide a good opportunity to practice medicine in a rural area with excellent facilities. In additional they maintain facility-sharing agreements with the tertiary hospitals.