An Integrated Rural and Urban Underserved Pathway in Medical School

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Workforce Development
• Underserved Healthcare

Background:

• Growing need for culturally responsive physicians in rural and urban underserved areas.
• Existing medical school programs often use separate tracks for rural or urban training.
• This approach may limit interaction and holistic development of students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the integrated Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways (RUSP) program.
• To assess the program's impact on student development and career choices.
• To determine the effectiveness of a flexible, non-separated training model.

Main Methods:

• The RUSP program integrates students across four years, offering critical reflection, professional development, coaching, scholarly projects, and immersion experiences.
• Students can join or leave the program at any time, with encouragement toward underserved practice but no commitment to a specific specialty or location.
• Program impact was assessed via student self-reports and tracking of graduate career paths.

Main Results:

• Students reported enhanced professional, personal, social, and academic development.
• 67% of students matched into primary care specialties.
• Of practicing graduates, 9 out of 11 practice primary care in rural or urban locations, with 5 in designated underserved communities.

Conclusions:

• An integrated, flexible pathways model effectively promotes student growth and program expansion.
• The RUSP program successfully prepares physicians for practice in underserved settings.
• Clear goals and continuous evaluation are crucial for program success and refinement.