title: Ambulatory family practice experience as the primary and integrating clinical concept in a four-year undergraduate curriculum.
abstract: The Upper Peninsula Medical Education Program seeks to graduate primary care physicians who will practice in rural, underserved areas. The program has a unique curriculum that involves four years away from Michigan State University's main campus and is based on ambulatory outpatient experience in a family practice model office. All basic and clinical sciences are learned in this setting. Novel ways of organizing faculty and student time help facilitate this plan. A thorough evaluation system helps monitor student progress. Preliminary results are promising indications that the program is meeting its goals.
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008824:Michigan