This 30 hour degree program is designed to provide some of the tools necessary for future rural Alabama physicians to become community health leaders. The program teaches principles of rural public health as a basis for community health leadership, characteristics of rural health concerns and approaches to biomedical science study. The curriculum is combination of Basic Science Courses, Rural Primary Care discussions, activities, visits and an introduction to basic clinical medicine through didactic sessions, clinical simulations and shadowing with physicians. It will help prepare them to lead in the development and maintenance of community health center practices and other health care practices. There are two concentrations: Rural Medical Scholars and Rural Community Health Scholars.
Concentration 1: Rural Medical Scholars (RMS) was established in 1996 by The UAB Heersink School of Medicine (UABSOM) to recruit students who grew up in rural Alabama who desire to practice primary care medicine in rural Alabama. RMS apply to UABSOM, go through a special interview/selection process and enter a RMS 5-year track of study leading to the MD degree. For the first year, RMS spend a year on the Tuscaloosa campus in the MS in Rural Community Health program with a set of courses related to rural community health and basic sciences. Following this year, RMS then complete two years of pre-clinical study at UABSOM in Birmingham. RMS then return to Tuscaloosa for two years of clinical medicine training in the College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) (UABSOM – Tuscaloosa Campus). After completing the MD degree, RMS enter residency training in the specialty of their choice.
Concentration 2: Rural Community Health Scholars (RCHS) are students who exhibit a desire to be rural primary care physicians, but are not yet eligible for the RMS program. The RCHS have the same rural Alabama residency requirements (8 or more years growing up in a rural Alabama community or have graduated from a rural Alabama high school) as RMS. Most of these students use the Master of Science degree as a bridge to the RMS program by demonstrating their ability to handle graduate-level studies and improving admission test scores. If they do not become eligible for the RMS program, they may choose to complete the degree and/or pursue admission to other programs.
Students will complete degree requirements following Plan II (without thesis). Each student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better for all graduate courses undertaken at UA, although UABSOM may require a higher science GPA for RMS. At least 75 percent of the graduate hours taken must have been completed with grades of “A” or “B” at UA. All requirements for graduation must be completed within six semesters.
Goal / Purpose
The purpose of the RCH MS - RMSP is to identify, recruit and retain rural students who have the desire to return to the rural setting as physicians.
Ten to Twelve rural Alabama students from a competitive applicant pool are selected each year to enter the Rural Community Health Master’s Degree Program at the University of Alabama. Upon successful completion of the Master’s Degree, these students will matriculate to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine (UABSOM) and complete the first two years of medical education in Birmingham. Students then return to Tuscaloosa to complete the third and fourth years of medical education at the University of Alabama, College of Community Health Sciences. The RCH MS - RMSP provides:
Benefits of Being a Rural Scholar:
In addition to the minimum Graduate School admission requirements, to be considered for regular admission as a Rural Medical Scholar (RMS) student, an applicant must:
In addition to the minimum Graduate School admission requirements, to be considered for regular admission as a Rural Community Health Scholar (RCHS) student, an application must include:
Applicants who spent their formative years in rural Alabama who are interested in practicing primary care medicine in rural Alabama
Applicants must meet the https://cchs.ua.edu/rural-programs/medical-scholars/ admission requirements for Rural Medical Scholars and Rural Community Health Scholars
Each track within the program - the Rural Medical Scholar (RMS) and Rural Community Health Scholar (RCHS) tracks - require a minimum of 30 credit hours to complete. The RMS track is a one-year program, and the RCHS track is a two-year program. All students will complete a set of common core courses, plus the additional core courses and approved electives within their respective tracks. Students who complete the first year of RCHS track and are accepted into the RMS track in spring of year one will complete the RMS track core curriculum and approved electives in year two. Students who complete the first year of RCHS and are NOT accepted or choose not to apply or enroll into the RMS track will complete the remaining RCHS core curriculum in year two.
Of note, though listed as additional core courses in each track, RCH 522 Community Clinical Process I and RCH 532 Community Clinical Process II and CHS 540 Rural Community Interaction I and CHS 541 Rural Community Interaction II , all meet the same student learning outcomes related to rural community health. Clinical Community Processes I & II are separate courses because they also provide preparation for medical school success and careers as rural family physicians.