Rural Outreach Efforts

Community partnerships, specifically collaborations with federally qualified Community Health Centers (CHCs), emphasize the preparation of health care providers for practice in rural and medically underserved areas. All AHECs incorporate rural clinical sites as an integral part of their training experiences.

The AHEC Associate Director for Education serves as the College of Medicine's Rural Medical Leadership Coordinator, scheduling rural rotations for 71 students participating in the College of Medicine's Community Match Program/Rural Loan and Scholarship Program and assisting the Rural Medicine Student Leadership Association (RMSLA). Participating students follow a specified Rural Practice Curriculum. In the graduating class of 2002, 19 students had Community Match commitments; 9 are entering Family Medicine residencies, 7 of those are Arkansas AHEC residencies.

These students form the Rural Medicine Student Leadership Association. A Steering Committee, comprised of medical students and representatives from the AHEC Program, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, and the College of Medicine, develops topics and selects speakers for quarterly lunch meetings.

The Rural Preceptorship Program is a long-standing rural training program that takes place in small towns. Senior Primary Care Selectives are 4-week rotations required of all senior medical students. Students following the Rural Practice Curriculum perform a portion of their primary care selective with a rural physician. Acting Internships in Primary Care, also 4-week required rotations, focus on patient skills and instilling confidence in senior students preparing for the first year of residency.