Physicians who are interested in teaching the Rural-PRIME students have several levels of participation that they may choose from.  Please contact the Program Coordinator for specific information about the various options.

A health care professional with experience in rural medicine may choose to provide his or her contact information to Rural-PRIME.  This will offer Rural-PRIME students opportunities to communicate with professionals whose specialties are in the students' area of interest. A student may also contact a professional resource to schedule an informal shadowing experience.  This is the easiest way to support Rural-PRIME.

Our students are anxious to hear from you, the rural physician!  They want to know about what you do, who your patient population is and what your daily work schedule is like.  Seminar presentations typically take place during the lunch hour.  We can assist with Video Conferencing or you are welcome to join the students in person.

Between the 1st and 2nd years of medical school, many students participate in a Summer Experience.  This is a shadowing experience that provides students with additional clinical experience, an opportunity to live in a rural community, a solid relationship with a rural physician mentor and an opportunity to reinforce their desire to live and work in a rural setting!

"During my summer experience, my physician mentor significantly influenced my perspective of rural medicine and helped me to improve my skills in patient interviewing, physical examination, patient presentation and professionalism. I also learned the importance of the physician's role in meeting the unique needs of a low-income, rural community."

Tona Rodriguez, Class of 2012

During the first and second years of medical shcool, the Rural-PRIME students are paired with a rural physician in a surrounding community who will assist them with their physical examination and interview skills.  Preceptors find suitable patients for the student to perform a history and physical on, observe the history and physical, review the student's write-up on the patient, have the student present the patient to them and offer them consistent mentorship throughout the academic year.  Physicians participating in the program at this level may qualify for a Volunteer Clinical Faculty appointment with the UC Davis School of Medicine.

Co-facilitate a small group of medical students during their first, second, or third year.  Groups focus on interview skills, critical thinking and evaluation.  Standardized patients (actors) are brought in to simulate real patient scenarios and provide a safe environment for students to practice handling difficult situations.  Small groups meet throughout the academic year.  Physicians participating in the program at this level will qualify for a Volunteer Clinical Faculty appointment with the UC Davis School of Medicine.

The opportunity to experience clinical training in a rural setting and interact with rural patient populations is a crucial part of the Rural-PRIME curriculum.  UC Davis School of Medicine is partnering with rural hospitals and physicians to facilitate rural clerkships in the third year of medical school. Our Rural-PRIME students will go out to rural clinical sites for 4-8 weeks at a time, for their Family Practice, Pediatrics and Ob/Gyn clerkships. During that period, they will live in the rural area, participate in their didactics here at the medical center via distance learning, and engage in the life of the rural community, making ties and learning both the rewards and challenges of rural practice.

Hosting a student for a third year clerkship requires commitment not only on the part of the hospital or clinic administration but also from the physicians undertaking to teach the student.  Yes, it takes time, but it is an investment in the long-term recruitment, retention and pipeline process to attract physicians to your area!

An application must be submitted on behalf of the health system.  Please contact Rural-PRIME for the selection criteria and application information.

A large part of the recent decline and resulting shortage in primary care physicians has been attributable to the pull of higher incomes for specialty and sub-specialty practice, thereby enabling medical school debt to be paid off more quickly.  Primary care practice in rural areas will be much less inviting and indeed highly unlikely for a medical student weighing career options against a massive debt load.  Therefore, in order to attract students from rural backgrounds into Rural-PRIME, we must remove the financial obstacles to entering medical school and choosing rural practice.  Many students from rural backgrounds simply would not consider Rural-PRIME without scholarship funding.

With your scholarship support, we can recruit the most talented students to Rural-PRIME and enable them to make the choice to practice in the rural places they once called home.  Please contact Cori Traub at (916) 734-1820 or cori.traub@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu for information on supporting the UC Davis Rural-PRIME scholarship fund