First-year medical students learn about RHPP at an informational meeting each October. Interested students then submit an application for the program. Up to 22 students are selected.
Newly selected RHPP students participate in a 16-week seminar series during the second semester of their first year of medical school. This seminar covers relevant topics including:
- Choosing a rural practice
- Loan repayment programs
- Leadership and workplace issues
- Telemedicine
- Common infectious diseases
- Substance abuse, alcohol and co-morbid conditions
- Formularies and SOAP notes
- Medical error
- Health systems and health reform
- Public health
- Cultural humility
- Occupational health
- Families and development
- Rural health issues
- Careers in the Public Health and Indian Health Services
Students also will be required to develop a short presentation on the community in which they will complete their initial rotation, to the entire class. Students are also required, while on site in the initial rotation, to complete a semi-structured reflection journal that is to be emailed to Dr. Landau weekly.
Students are matched with physician preceptors in rural Arizona. Preceptors practice disciplines including:
- Family Medicine
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Internal Medicine
- Pediatrics
- General Surgery
- Medicine/Pediatrics
Students may spend two or more rotations with their rural physician preceptor during the four years of medical school. These rotations total a minimum of 10 weeks.
- Between Years 1 and 2
- During Year 3 as an elective clinical rotation and/or as a full or partial clinical clerkship in the disciplines listed above
- During Year 4 as an elective clinical rotation