Prison health and medical education

Prison health has long been neglected as an area of serivice by organized medicine and a site for clinical education by health science centers. The University of New Mexico Health Science Center offers an elective, weekly clinical experience for preclinical medical students, senior nursing students, and senior pharmacy students at a prison facility in need of medical services. Students' reaction to the prison experience was strongly positive. Most developed empathy toward the inmates and a greater understanding of prison health problems. Inmates rated the student service highly and requested its continuation. This community health education experience has provided a noncontractual model of a university-prison health alliance.