A new initiative at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson designed to encourage and provide longitudinal support for Arizona students interested in medical school, is accepting applicants through the end of the month for its intensive full-time, 12-month program.
The Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway Program, known as P-MAP, is designed to help students who have experienced unique or greater-than-average challenges in preparing to become competitive medical school applicants. Upon successful completion of the year-long P-MAP program, students will be admitted to the UA College of Medicine - Tucson.
The 12 month, May through April, P-MAP Program is full-time and intensive. The online application found at www.medicine.arizona.edu/pmap, will be open until Feb. 28. The program is funded via the Arizona Center of Excellence grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration through the UA College of Medicine – Tucson Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
In addition to the P-MAP Program in Tucson, the College of Medicine - Phoenix has developed a similar medical education bridge program called the Pathway Scholars Program. The Phoenix program will interview its applicants for admission to its 2014 class that will start in June (phoenixmed.arizona.edu/pathway). Applicants were taken from the regular MD program candidate pool after the application process ended in October. The Phoenix program will enroll 10 students in the inaugural program this year. The P-MAP program in Tucson provides an individualized approach for success that focuses on educational enrichment with a combination of undergraduate and/or graduate coursework with MCAT preparation, professional socialization with mentorship and clinical experience and life management training and coaching.
“The new Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway Program was developed with the long-term goal of increasing the number of physicians from underserved populations in Arizona. The program is designed to help meet Arizona’s physician shortage with a diverse pool of students who will become finely trained medical professionals,” said Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, MD, UA senior vice president for health sciences, who has made increasing diversity one of several goals to better serve the state of Arizona and its people.
- Candidates must be Arizona Residents to apply. Consideration will be given to applicants who among other things:
- Have faced socioeconomic disadvantages, are first-generation college attendees, grew up in either a rural or US/Mexico border region or are enrolled members in federally recognized American Indian tribes
- Demonstrate principles of cultural competence in health care
- Demonstrate attributes such as altruism and social accountability
- Are fluent in English and conversant in languages commonly spoken in Arizona (Spanish, Navajo, etc.)
There are two pathways for students to follow within the P-MAP program:
- Pathway 1 is offered to students, who by the month of May, would meet all coursework requirements for admission to UA College of Medicine – Tucson
- Pathway 2 is offered to students who require additional coursework to fulfill admission criteria for the UA College of Medicine – Tucson
“The goal of the PMAP is to increase diversity in the health professions by increasing the number of physicians from underrepresented and under-served populations. The program complements current diversity efforts supported by the UA COM,” said Lori Alvord, MD, associate dean of Student Affairs and Admissions at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. “And, beyond providing a pathway to enhance institutional diversity, the program will increase our opportunity to produce physicians that desire to serve in Arizona’s rural and underserved patient populations.”
The P-MAP program is seeking partners to help sustain and grow the new program. Interested donors can learn more or contribute by visiting: www.medicine.arizona.edu/pmap.
To learn more, please visit: https://medicine.arizona.edu/pmap