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The Rural Physician Program (also known as the UP Program) is the College of Human Medicine's rural education program. Each year, 10 College of Human Medicine applicants are selected to their clinical years in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Preference for this program is given, though not limited to, applicants who have had significant experiences in rural Michigan or are considering eventually practicing in a small-town setting. For much more information, please visit the UP Program website.
Physician shortages exist in Michigan's rural areas, and it is a goal of CHM to educate caring physicians who will practice there. All applicants who are invited to interview at CHM will have the opportunity to apply to the RPP by submitting two essays, discussing their interests in rural medicine and highlighting their personal characteristics and experiences that are consistent with becoming an excellent rural physician. RPP applicants should have interests and personality traits consistent with living in a smaller community and practicing in underserved, rural areas.
The College of Human Medicine's mission is explicit about educating excellent, caring physicians who will practice in Michigan's underserved rural communities. The Rural Physician Program is a highly competitive program designed to educate students to become exemplary physicians with the clinical skills needed to meet the needs of rural Michigan.
The College of Human Medicine is a community-integrated medical school. Years
1 and 2, the preclinical years, take place at the Michigan State University
East 
Lansing
campus. Years 3 and 4, the clinical years, take place at one of six community
campuses:
Each year, 10 CHM admitted students are selected for the RPP, a clinical option for students whose goals include becoming able to serve the people in small towns and rural communities. The goal of the RPP is to provide students with enriched clinical experiences, community service opportunities, and small town lifestyle advantages which will encourage CHM Rural Physician Program alumni to establish rewarding practices in Michigan's rural communities.
RPP students receive an excellent clinical education from Michigan State University faculty and from CHM selected board certified volunteer physicians from the local community. Students also have the opportunity to work with the Family Practice Residents at Marquette General Hospital.
While the RPP was particularly designed for students entering primary care fields, graduates can and have gone into nearly all specialties. In keeping with the very successful Upper Peninsula (UP) Program that was established in 1974, the RPP curriculum emphasizes the caring, compassionate, humane approach to the doctor-patient relationship. Administered by the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation, the RPP provides students with outstanding, state-of-the-art facilities while maintaining a humanistic, personalized approach.
As a community-integrated medical school, CHM is uniquely positioned to provide students with comprehensive training in clinical settings that most closely parallel the type of environment in which many physicians will ultimately practice. All CHM students who successfully complete Block I (Year 1), Block II (Year 2), and Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE) advance to Block III (Years 3 and 4), the community-based, clinical experience. Block III is an 80-week curriculum block comprised of physician-supervised required clerkships in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and surgery. These experiences take place in a variety of hospital and ambulatory settings. Advanced clerkships are required in surgery and internal medicine. Concurrent with clerkships, students participate in required weekly structured learning seminars on core interdisciplinary topics important to the care and health management of patients. Block III students also have four, four-week elective clerkships that may include an international experience.
After passing Step 1 of the USMLE, students who are accepted to the Rural Physician Program move to the Upper Peninsula for a challenging clinical experience. Students assume increasing responsibility for diagnosing and treating patients during their ambulatory care experience. A variety of outpatient settings, including schools and counseling programs, also enrich this ambulatory care experience. Additional opportunities for students to train at rural sites throughout the Upper Peninsula are continually being developed.
The core clinical disciplines are done at Marquette General Hospital, a 352-bed regional referral center with outstanding state-of-the-art facilities and dedicated physician educators. A hallmark of the program is the two-month Family Medicine clerkship in a small Upper Peninsula community, where one-on-one teaching and tremendous clinical exposure serves to coalesce prior learning and experience in a comprehensive, humanistic approach. Additional required and elective time can be done in Marquette, anywhere in the CHM system, nationally or internationally.
Competitive applicants to the College of Human Medicine MD program must have strong academic credentials, and personal attributes and career goals that are consistent with the CHM Mission, as outlined in the The College of Human Medicine Premedical Handbook and Self-Assessment Guide.
Competitive applicants to the Rural Physician Program must be admitted to CHM and have outstanding qualifications for practicing in a rural area, with consideration given for previous rural life experiences, initiative, and the desire to become not only excellent physicians but also community leaders. The RPP Admissions Selection Committee strives to accept students for RPP who reflect the diversity of the College of Human Medicine's entering class.
College of Human Medicine
Upper Peninsula
Campus
UP Health Education Corporation
418 W. Magnetic Street
Marquette, MI 49855
Phone: (906) 228-7970
Fax: (906) 228-5734
Email the UP Campus
| The College of Human Medicine reserves the right to alter programs and processes without notice. |
