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Who Is Eligible for RMSP?
Only residents of Alabama are eligible for admissions to the Rural Medical Scholars Program (RMSP). Rural Medical Scholars are medical school applicants from rural backgrounds who intend to practice primary care in rural and underserved areas. Applicants must have lived in a rural area of Alabama for no less than eight years. A rural area may be either a county outside of a standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) or a smaller area determined to be rural by rural physicians on the RMSP Admission Committee. Students who participated in the Rural Health Scholars Program receive preference in the selection process.
What are the program’s admission requirements? What are the qualifications?
Applicants must meet all current specified UASOM admissions requirements:
1. A minimum of 90 semester hours of academic credit.
2. Complete all required course work:
One year each (8 semester hours) of biology, general
chemistry, organic chemistry and physics.
6 semester hours of college mathematics (or computer
sciences) and
6 semester hours of English.
3. Take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
4. Submit an application to the University of Alabama School
of Medicine through the American Medical College
application Service (AMCAS).
5. Students are required to earn a baccalaureate degree prior
to matriculation in medical school. Exceptions may be
granted for students who are exceedingly well qualified
academically and with superior MCAT scores.
Rural Medical Scholars should:
- Meet requirements as stated above.
- Complete final year of undergraduate education or a year of graduate study at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Exceptions will be made in special circumstances.
- Maintain their academic standards by earning a minimum 3.2 GPA in their prematriculation year of course work at The University of Alabama. Any RMSP student who earns a grade of D or F in his/her coursework during the year of study at UA will not be eligible for matriculation into the UASOM through the RMSP. These students may apply through the regular admissions process with all other applicants.
- Score a minimum of 24 on the MCAT (Medical College
Admissions Test). Rural Medical Scholars [along with all
medical students] must earn a satisfactory MCAT score
prior to matriculation.
What is the selection process for the RMSP?
Applications to the RMSP are submitted to the UA School of Medicine in Birmingham and potentially eligible candidates are interviewed by the RMSP Admissions Committee. The RMSP Admissions Committee is composed predominantly of primary care practitioners in rural practice and Tuscaloosa campus faculty with representation from the the School of Medicine’s Admissions Committee at UAB.
Each candidate invited to Interview Day in Tuscaloosa has one-to-one visits with at least three members of the RMSP Admissions Committee. All candidates attend a brief orientation session in the morning and rotate through scheduled interviews. Committee members meet to discuss interview results and the applications immediately following the conclusion of interviews.
The committee selects from eligible applicants based on academic and personal achievement and characteristics such as rural identity and commitment to career goals, teamwork orientation, self-motivation, and other qualities that predict applicants’ ability to become outstanding rural physicians. Applicants are notified within 24 hours whether or not they will be admitted to the program, which begins in August.
Successful applicants generally have had a minimum 3.3 GPA and a composite MCAT score of 24 or higher with no sub-score below six (a guarantee of consideration for admission).
Lower gradepoints are handled case-by-case.
PROVISIONAL ACCEPTANCES MAY BE GRANTED if applicants meet all specified requirements except having scored the required minimum on MCAT. An applicant having a composite ACT of 24 or higher may be interviewed by the RMSP Admissions Committee and be determined eligible for acceptance. NO STUDENT will be matriculated into the School of Medicine without having earned a satisfactory MCAT score prior to matriculation.
How do I apply?
Print the application and instructions from the website. Complete the application, sign it, and mail it along with your letters of recommendation to the UA School of Medicine in Birmingham at the address given in the instructions. You can also request an application packet from the RMSP Office (205) 348-1302 or e-mail: iwallace@cchs.ua.edu.
If you have not taken the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), register to take it as soon as possible and no later than the April testing date before the application is due.
What are the benefits of starting in this program vs going directly to medical school?
The RMSP is designed specifically to provide encouragement, assistance, and problem-solving support to rural students who plan to become rural physicians. You will have a peer group of pre-med students with similar backgrounds and goals in your class as well as from Rural Medical Scholars ahead of you in medical school and residency to study with and rely on as you progress in your training and career. You will meet and shadow rural physicians, work with rural leaders and residents on local health concerns, and have specific rural learning experiences through farm field trips. You will make valuable contacts, meet state and federal elected officials and discuss health policy issues with them, and learn more about the overall health system involved with medicine. You also receive early acceptance to medical school.
What degree or academic credit is conferred if I enter the RMSP?
While the MD degree is the primary goal of this program, which includes four years of medical school in addition to the pre-med year of study, RMSP students (both graduates and undergraduates) have additional academic credit options:
RURAL MEDICAL SCHOLAR DEGREE OPTIONS*
1. Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in chosen
field of study
2. Bachelor of Science - Health Professions Option
3. Master of Science in General Studies in Human
Environmental Sciences (Rural Community Health
Specialization)
4. Non-degree earning graduate studies
* Successful completion of five core courses (listed in blue type in the curriculum information below) results in the awarding of a Certificate of Rural Community Health regardless of degree option.
What is the 5-year curriculum for RMSP?
Rural Medical Scholars who seek a master’s degree take the courses listed below. Courses marked by the asterick are required for students receiving the Certificate of Rural Community Health designation. Students who need to complete specific preparatory coursework or prerequisites for entry into medical school may request an individualized curriculum based on their particular needs.
Master of Science Degree
General Studies in Human Environmental Sciences
Rural Community Health Track
Purpose
This degree program track is designed to provide the tools necessary for future rural Alabama physicians to become community health leaders. It will prepare physicians who can lead in the development and maintenance of community health center practices.
Admission
Admission is restricted to students who are admitted to the Rural Medical Scholars Program (RMSP) in the College of Community Health Sciences. In addition to RMSP requirements, the student must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Students with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, a GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of coursework, or a GPA of 3.0 in a master’s degree program are not required to submit standardized test scores.
Evaluation
Students will complete degree requirements following Plan II (without thesis). A grade of “B” or higher must be earned in all courses and a final evaluation must be completed as determined by departmental guidelines.
What is the pre-med curriculum for undergrads? And for grads?
Undergraduates are required to complete all prerequisites for UASOM (University of Alabama School of Medicine) and obtain their baccalaureate degree. Graduate students are most often enrolled in the master’s degree program in Rural Community Health. Other options exist and may be approved at the discretion of the program directors.
Do I have to practice family medicine?
Family Medicine is the specialty most likely to meet the needs of rural communities. Medical graduates who choose family medicine residency training cover a broader array of topic areas and receive training in a wider variety of clinical and diagnostic skills and are certified to care for all ages and both genders. The majority of Rural Medical Scholars have chosen Family Medicine, but some who have opted for the primary care specialties of internal medicine and pediatrics are also providing valuable medical care in rural Alabama.
Do I have to practice in a rural area, etc.?
Rural Medical Scholars are chosen based partly on their commitment to serve in Rural Alabama. Your goal of becoming a primary care physician in a rural area of the state allows you to take a space reserved for a future rural physician, a doctor desperately needed across Alabama. We are counting on your sincerity in awarding you admission to RMSP.
Are there scholarship $$$ available for any or all of the 5 years?
There are various scholarship and loan opportunities. The details of eligibility, amount, and criteria for selection vary with each scholarship. The qualifications are not necessarily the same as (or sometimes even similar to) those of the Rural Medical Scholars Program itself. Specific questions can be addressed individually.
Do I have to transfer to UA? Or can I graduate from the college I’m in now?
Rural Medical Scholars must register as students of The University of Alabama and be present on campus for the prematriculation year of study. before entering medical school in Birmingham. Most undergraduate students transfer to UA and earn their bachelor’s degree here at the end of the premed year. Arrangements for obtaining a degree from another college or university are between you and that institution.
How do I transfer to UA for the first year? When you apply to The University of Alabama, transfer of academic course credit between institutions will depend on each individual’s status and the guidelines for accepting credits from his or her particular college. RMSP directors and advisors can assist you with these details and help with any problems or concerns.
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