Undergraduate Rural Education

The Office of Rural & Regional Health offers a variety of educational opportunities to undergraduate medical students. Each initiative is designed to expose students to the exciting and dynamic aspects of rural health care.

Undergraduate students with an interest in a career as a rural physician can participate in shadowing opportunities or the elective rotations. Each program offers a different level of exposure to rural medical practice. Other program initiatives include the Integrated Community Clerkship program and the Pre-clinical Networked Education program.The clinical demands of a rural physician differ from those of a physician working in an urban environment. To fully understand these differences, students are placed directly in a rural community: all third-year medical students are required to complete a core rural or regional rotation.

Regardless of the chosen program, students will challenge their clinical skills and become valued, integrated members of a rural community's health-care system.