Education

Rural Health Distinction Track

Building upon our nationally recognized Rural Health Professions Program (RHPP), this track fosters students’ passion for rural health care. Throughout their four years here, students participating in the Rural Health Distinction Track will spend a minimum of 16 weeks working with assigned preceptors in rural communities across Arizona, where students learn first-hand the rewards and challenges of providing health care in a rural setting. Students can customize their participation by selecting among three areas of concentration: 

  • American Indian health care 
  • Border health care 
  • Rural Arizona health care 

  • MED-881A: Rural Health Professions Program I, the semester-long noon seminar series on rural health issues is followed by a 4- to 6-week-long rural health experience during the PAL (Personalized Active Learning) Block
  • Completion of a total 16 weeks of rural clinical rotations by participating in an additional 4 to 6 weeks of rural clinical experiences during either:
  • Third Year Clerkship experiences in rural sites:
    • FCM 813C, MED 813C, SURG 813C, OBG 813C or PED 813C, which are 2- to 6-week experiences
  • Elective Clinical Rural Rotations during Transition to Residency:
    • Rural Health Professions Program II at a rural site: EMD 881B, FCM 881B, MED 881B, OBG 881B, PED 881B or SURG 881B, which are 2- to 4-week experiences

MS2
Required: Declare intention to enter the distinction track 
Description: Complete by the end of the spring semester of second year 

Clerkship or transition to residency 
Required: Six additional weeks minimally of another rural clinical experience, for a total of a minimum of 16 weeks 
Description: Select concentration:

  • American Indian health care, focusing on provision of care to American Indians via the Indian Health Service (IHS) or 638 American Indian Health self-determination health care service programs 
  • Border health care, focusing on the provision of care to the people of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands (La Frontera) 
  • Rural Arizona health care, focusing on the provision of care to rural Arizonans

MS4
Required: capstone 10- to 12-page cited research paper 
Description: Addresses issues discovered or identified through experiences in area of concentration, completed during FCM 800D 

MED 881A 
Rural Health Professions Program I 
Non-Grad Credits: 1

Combination of 16 weeks: EMD 881B, FCM 881B, MED 881B, OBG 881B, PED 881B or SURG 881B 
Rural Health Professions Program II
Grad Credits: 2-6

FCM 800D 
Rural Health Capstone Course 
Grad Credits: 4

Contact

Director: Anna S. Landau, MD MPH 

Coordinator: Hildi Williams