Projects

Alabama Academy of Family Physicians Student Conference

This program offers scholarships to medical student members of the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians to help cover expenses associated with attending the Annual Conference. Students participate in seminars specifically designed for student members, attend regular educational sessions, and network with practicing family physicians.

Alabama Academy of Family Physicians Booths for Resident Recruitment

This project aims to assist Alabama’s family practice residency programs in attracting future residents. The funding allows these residency programs to secure booth spaces at the National Conference of Family Practice Residents and Medical Students. For more information, contact the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians.

Auburn University Rural Health Program

Scholars have established a track for rural students that guarantees them a spot in the University of Alabama School of Medicine. This program has positively impacted rural communities by demonstrating to rural students that they can gain admission to medical school. As a result, many of these students choose to return to rural areas to practice medicine after completing their education.

The University of Alabama School of Medicine offers programs across three campuses. All medical students complete their first two years of coursework at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) before being divided into three groups for their clinical years: UAB, Tuscaloosa, and Huntsville campuses. Auburn University also provides a one-year "pre-matriculation" program on its campus, where each participant is guaranteed a spot in the following year's medical class at UAB. After completing this year, students then attend UAB for two additional years before finishing their clinical training at the University of Alabama at Huntsville campus. All applications are processed through the University of Alabama.

Cahaba Family Medicine Residency “Time Away” Program

Cahaba Family Medicine Residency (CFMR) is a free-standing rural family medicine residency program located in Centreville, Bibb County, Alabama. Of the total 36 months of training, 23 months take place in rural Bibb County, which is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA 16). Most residents live in Bibb County, just minutes away from the clinic and hospital throughout their three years of residency. This grant differs from rural rotation grants; it allows residents to gain experience in an urban setting while providing reimbursement to the residency program for any lost revenue during their absence.

CCHS Behavioral Medicine Fellowship

This year-long fellowship at the University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences focuses on the principles and practices of behavioral medicine as applied to family medicine. It includes the diagnosis and treatment of common behavioral medicine conditions encountered in rural Alabama. Throughout the fellowship, the fellow will maintain a family medicine continuity practice and will be placed at various rural primary care sites in the community.

CCHS Community Integration

This grant provides support for community preceptors involved in the community integration residency project, a third-year clerkship model for medical students.

CCHS Obstetrical Fellowships

This program is designed to provide rural Alabama with family physicians skilled in a broader range of obstetric care for the local population. It is a year-long fellowship in obstetrics, in which fellows commit to practicing obstetrics in a rural area for at least one year. This nationally recognized program attracts exceptional candidates from various states. As a result, the program prioritizes awarding fellowships to individuals who can demonstrate a connection to the state of Alabama.

Medical Student Clerkships

Rural rotations enable third—and fourth-year medical students to work alongside a rural family physician for 4 to 6 weeks. Grant funding helps cover the students' travel expenses. As a result of this program, many rural communities have successfully recruited physicians.

• UAB Clinical Clerkships
• UAB Rural Medicine Programs
• USA Family Medicine

Point of Contact Ultrasound Programs for Montgomery Family Medicine Residency and Selma Family Medicine Residency Programs

These grants have enabled programs to acquire hardware, software, and online access for teaching ultrasound to family medicine residents. Point-of-care ultrasound is a valuable and cost-effective tool that helps provide answers to clinical questions and prepares family medicine residents for practice in rural settings. Visit the Montgomery Family Medicine Residency Program or the UAB Selma Family Medicine Residency for more information.

Rural Rotations for Family Medicine Residents at all Campuses

These grants reimburse residency programs for the income lost when residents are off-campus serving at rural locations. The effect on a rural community is significant, as these residents gain exposure to rural practice and develop a connection with the community they serve. Many residents choose to practice in these areas after completing their residency.

Tuskegee Area Health Education Center Health College Connection

The TAHEC grant offers health professions shadowing opportunities for rural undergraduate students in underserved areas of east Alabama.

University of Alabama Rural Medical Scholars Program

The Rural Medical Scholars Program was established in 1996 to tackle the shortage of primary care physicians in Alabama’s rural areas. The program aims to recruit and support college students from rural Alabama who aspire to become physicians and practice in their local communities.

On average, 11 students are admitted to the highly selective five-year medical education program at The University of Alabama and the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. The Rural Medical Scholars Program includes a year of study following the completion of an undergraduate degree, which leads to a master's degree in Rural Community Health and early admission to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. Undergraduates may qualify for this program after their junior year if they have met most of the requirements for their major.

During the year prior to entering medical school, students take courses related to rural health and the practice of primary care in rural areas. They also participate in special seminars, field trips, and community service programs. Provided that students meet the entrance requirements for admission to the Heersink School of Medicine and excel during the pre-matriculation year, they are guaranteed a spot in the following year’s class.

After two years of study at the Heersink School of Medicine campus in Birmingham, Rural Medical Scholars return to the UA College of Community Health Sciences, which serves as the Heersink School of Medicine’s Tuscaloosa Regional Campus, for their third and fourth years of clinical education.

More than 200 students have participated in the Rural Medical Scholars Program, and 126 have completed medical school and residency training. A significant majority of these graduates practice in Alabama, primarily in rural areas, with 65% serving as primary care physicians.

For more information, visit The University of Alabama Rural Medical Scholars Program.

UAB Early Exposure and Immersion Experience in Rural Family Medicine

The goal of this project is to encourage more UABSOM students to pursue family medicine by providing them with increased exposure to both clinical and informal experiences with family physicians, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas. This funding enables the UAB Department of Family Medicine to organize “Lunch and Learn” conferences for first and second-year medical students through the Family Medicine Interest Group. Additionally, it supports the PATHWAYS program, which offers a preclinical summer externship for 25 second-year medical students in rural family medicine clinics. Visit UAB's Rural Medicine Programs for more information.

UA Huntsville Rural Premedical Internship

The Rural Pre-Medical Internship offers students an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in preparation for medical school, specifically for those aspiring to become family physicians in rural areas of our state. This program includes a variety of activities that culminate in an enriching summer filled with learning, understanding, and enjoyment.

Established in 1992, the internship program has been continuously hosted at the Huntsville Regional Medical Campus. It spans seven weeks, starting in late May or early June, and students benefit from over 150 hours of primary care shadowing. During the first month, students will stay in provided housing at the branch campus, and for the second part of the program, they will return home.

UA Huntsville Integrated Residency

The Family Medicine Integrated Residency is a distinctive fourth-year curriculum designed to encourage students from the UAB School of Medicine, particularly those from rural Alabama, to choose the UAB Huntsville Family Medicine Residency Program. In this program, fourth-year medical students engage in a structured curriculum that includes additional rotations in anesthesia, critical care, cardiology, pulmonary medicine, nephrology, and emergency medicine. This comprehensive training prepares students well for their internship year.

UA Huntsville Rural Health Program

The Rural Medicine Program is a five-year initiative designed to train physicians to address the healthcare needs of rural and small-town Alabama.

The program begins with a year of pre-matriculation study at the post-baccalaureate level in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn University, followed by four years of medical school. During the first year, students take pre-matriculation courses at Auburn University, which are tailored to meet their individual academic needs.

In the second and third years, students complete their pre-clinical coursework at the campus in Birmingham, alongside extracurricular activities focused on rural medicine. The fourth and fifth years are dedicated to clinical rotations at the Huntsville Regional Medical Campus, where students participate in special courses and rotations specifically related to rural medicine.

UA Huntsville Obstetrical Fellowships and Obstetrical Preceptors

These fellowships are available for family medicine residency program graduates who wish to dedicate an additional year to obstetrical care. The OB fellow serves as a faculty member in family medicine, with a strong emphasis on teaching medical students and residents in a variety of settings.

Fellows will develop competency in obstetrical procedures and gynecological care and have teaching responsibilities. Upon completing the fellowship, they can either join a residency faculty to teach obstetrics or integrate obstetrics into their family practice.
Since there are no obstetricians on staff at the Huntsville Family Medicine Residency Program, two practicing OBGYN physicians act as preceptors, and the Board provides support for this initiative. Visit Obstetrics and Women's Health Fellowships to learn more.

University of South Alabama Resident Curriculum

The USA Department of Family Medicine is dedicated to recruiting and retaining family medicine residents who intend to practice in Alabama. More than 40% of USA Family Medicine graduates serve underserved populations in Mobile County or rural Alabama. In the last ten graduating classes, 26 residents have chosen to practice in Alabama communities. This grant includes the following components:

1. Instruction for learners in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO), along with membership in the national and state academies and attendance at the State Academy meeting, schedule permitting.
2. Required scholarly inquiry training through the Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN).
3. A practice management seminar and a continuous practice management curriculum.
4. Learning activities necessary for residency accreditation.

University of South Alabama Rural Student Curriculum

The USA Department of Family Medicine offers a grant aimed at supporting medical students interested in pursuing careers in rural family medicine. The objectives of this grant are as follows:

1. Funding for student stipends for time spent in rural areas.
2. Financial support for expanded conferences, which will include doctor-patient lounges, quarterly leadership meetings, discussions on clinical topics, and mini-skills workshops.
3. Support for the Summer Preceptor Program, which provides a stipend for up to four students interested in family medicine to spend time with a rural preceptor.
4. Development of preceptors and support for students and preceptors in conjunction with the Alabama Academy meeting in Sandestin. This initiative is crucial for recruitment efforts, bringing together valued preceptors and interested students in one location.
5. Funding for a teaching resource published by STFM (The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine).
6. This grant aims to enhance opportunities for students and strengthen the rural family medicine workforce.