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College of Medicine: For Medical Students

Rural Practice Curriculum

Purpose

The purpose of the Rural Practice Curriculum, as developed by the Rural Practice Curriculum ad hoc Committee of the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, in consultation with the Dean of the College of Medicine and the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, is to give our students participating in the Arkansas Rural Practice Student Loan and Scholarship Program a sound exposure to rural medicine in the context of primary care medicine. To that end, the curriculum affords our students multiple exposures to rural medicine in a variety of primary care specialties: notably, Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Geriatrics. The UAMS Regional Programs office (formerly called AHEC) will assist in much of the logistics of student assignment to rural practice sites throughout the state. Additionally, the experiences of our students are monitored by comprehensive evaluations by both students and faculty. Reports of these evaluations are sent from the Office of the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to the Curriculum Committee of the College of Medicine for critique and suggestions for improvement in the curriculum. It is anticipated that the Rural Practice Curriculum will change with time as we strive to ever improve the educational experience of our students.

Curriculum

  1. All students in the Rural Practice Program must join a primary care interest group in Family Practice, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Ob/Gyn, Emergency Medicine, Geriatrics and/or the Rural Medicine Student Leadership Association (RMSLA) and are encouraged to actively participate in these organizations.
  2. All students in the Rural Practice Program must take at least one Family Medicine preceptorship between their freshman and sophomore year and/or between their sophomore and junior year. This preceptorship should be done in a rural community if possible, and outside of Pulaski County. The Regional Programs office assists with this component of the Rural Practice Curriculum.
  3. All students in the Rural Practice Program should have an element of Rural Medicine in their Family Medicine Clerkship their junior year of medical school. This will be the responsibility of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.
    • All students in the Rural Practice Program must take either a Primary Care Elective or Acting Internships at a Regional Programs site. The College of Medicine will work with the Regional Programs office to ensure that at least part of the rotation will be a rural experience.