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Department of Family and Community Medicine Heersink School of Medicine

Department of Family and Community Medicine

Rural Medicine Programs

The rural medicine programs are optional clinical experiences that allow students at all stages of training to experience family medicine in a rural setting. The definition of “rural” is defined as a city or town of 25,000 or less. Stipends funded by the Alabama Family Practice Rural Health Board are available for students traveling to rural areas.

Pathway Program

The Pathway Program is a unique four week elective experience in rural ambulatory medicine for the pre-clinical student (MS1, MS2 and pre-matriculation students). It is offered by the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine with a grant from the Alabama Family Practice Rural Health Board.

Elements of the Pathway Program

  • Patient exposure in a real world clinical setting
  • Preceptors: Practicing rural physicians in the state of Alabama
  • Timeframe: Four-week experience during summer months (June – August)
  • Location: Rural city or town (designated as population of 25,000 or less)
  • Requirements: Journal of clinical experience to be submitted after four week experience
  • Stipend: $2000 stipend for completion of four week experience ($500/week)

Application and Selection Process

  • Complete the online application and submit by March 1. 
  • Include a brief resume and prepare a short essay stating your career goals and why you are interested in becoming a Pathway Externship participant.
    • Note: This is waived if you are a part of the Rural Medicine Pathway (RMP) or Rural Medicine Scholars Pathway (RMSP) program.  
  • Selections are made by March 30 and all applicants selected for the program will be notified by email.

For further questions about the Pathway Program, contact us at fmstudenteduc@uabmc.edu.

Rural Medicine Selectives and Electives

The Rural Medicine Selectives (MS3) and Rural Medicine Electives (MS4) are clinical experiences in a rural setting that are available for UAB Heersink School of Medicine students in their third and fourth year of training. These are 2- to 4-week clinical experiences in a rural family medicine practice facilitated by our community volunteer faculty. These are open only to MS3 students and MS4 students matriculating in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.

These can be scheduled through accessing the course catalog through UAB Medical Student Services.

For more information and to request placement, contact us at fmstudenteduc@uabmc.edu.