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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.
As a community-based medical school, CHM is uniquely positioned to provide students with comprehensive training in clinical settings that most closely parallel the environment in which many physicians typically practice. The College of Human Medicine differs from many medical schools in that there are two locations for preclinical education and seven locations for clinical education, with educational programs in 36 affiliated hospitals instead of one university hospital.
The Rural Physician Program (also known as the UP Program) is the College of Human Medicine's (CHM) rural education program. Each year, 10 CHM admitted students are selected to complete their clinical years (years 3 and 4) 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.
The Rural Physician Program is a clinical option for students whose goals include serving 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. 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.
Physician shortages exist in Michigan's rural areas, and it is a goal of CHM to educate caring physicians who will practice in those locations. The Rural Physician Program (RPP) was established in 1974to train high-quality committed physicians to serve in rural primary care. CHM and the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation (UPHEC) have partnered at the CHM Upper Peninsula campus (located in Marquette, Michigan) for this program.
RPP students receive an excellent clinical education from MSU faculty and CHM-selected, board-certified volunteer physicians from rural communities. RPP students choose a variety of specialties, and most choose to practice in a rural area. CHM Rural Physician Program alumni are encouraged to establish practices in Michigan's rural communities.
Application to the RPP requires the completion of two additional essays within the Secondary Application, where the applicant discusses their interests in rural medicine and highlight 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.
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, as well as 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 first be admitted to CHM. Applicants must 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 to the RPP who reflect the diversity of the College of Human Medicine's entering class.
For more information, please contact the UP campus:
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
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Human Medicine reserves the right to alter programs |
