Pathways to a Medical Degree

Besides the traditional curriculum, the University of Kentucky offers alternative pathways to earning a medical degree which are as follows:

• Rural Physician Leadership Program
  The University of Kentucky College of Medicine College is now accepting up to ten additional candidates for a branch campus and curricular track in allopathic medicine leading to the doctor of medicine (MD) degree. This educational program is called the Rural Physician Leadership Program, and it will be unique in its approach to the training of physicians, starting with community health principles in the first and second years and relying on rural community practices and experiences for training during the third and fourth years. The program will be designed to increase the number of physicians who are trained to provide high quality health care, who are knowledgeable about community health, and who will address the acute shortage of physicians in rural areas of the Commonwealth and the Nation.

  The site for community experiences is in Morehead, Kentucky in collaboration with St. Claire Medical Center and Morehead State University. This collaborative and cooperative relationship brings together existing and substantial resources from the participating partners and enhances the student experience.

  The AMCAS application provides potential applicants with the opportunity to select for the RPLP track similar to the current opportunities for selecting early admission and the MD/PhD track. A subcommittee of the Admissions Committee, along with faculty members from Morehead select the final candidates.

  Once a student is admitted into the RPLP, he/she is expected to fulfill the obligations of that track. A student may appeal to the Student Progress and Promotions Committee to opt out of the track, but permission to do so would be granted only under extraordinary circumstances.

  "Scholars in the Rural Physician Leadership Program will be competent to practice in and contribute to community health systems and services." This is the overarching institutional learning objective from which additional educational learning objectives and course objectives drive the curriculum and guide course directors. More specific objectives and competencies include populations-based study and research; health promotion and disease prevention; study of community health systems, services and agencies; the role of community leaders in health care; identification of community health problems and their solutions; the evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of a medical practice; and the economics of a medical practice as well as the impact of a medical practice on the local economy.

  Outcome measures such as practice location of scholars and their leadership and contributions to their communities will be used to evaluate this program.

• M.D./Ph.D. Program
  For more than a decade, the UK College of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. Program has trained men and women for careers as independent physician scientists and leaders in academic medicine, industry, and government. Our students are distinguished by talent, creativity and commitment to becoming the very best physician scientists. For this reason, our students hail from across the United States and around the world, presenting us with a mosaic of intellectual and social diversity. Students choose the UK College of Medicine MD/PhD Program to pursue a combined degree because we work hard at providing our students with a nurturing and supportive environment, responding to the students' needs as they progress through this challenging program. In addition, our students can choose from a wide array of outstanding research opportunities available in the six basic science departments and two graduate centers. Finally, we continue to adapt the program to the special requirements of our students. We also encourage the active participation of our students in developing our unique program.
  
  Our program integrates the medical and graduate curricula. Students typically complete the first two years of medical school and then begin their graduate studies. Once they have earned their doctorate, students complete their final two years of the medical school curriculum. Most students complete the combined degree in seven years. For more information, please visit the M.D./Ph.D. Web site.
  
  
• M.D./M.P.H. Program
  Students admitted to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine are eligible to apply to the M.D./M.P.H. program. The combined degree will provide well-trained physicians with additional skills and knowledge in public health policies and procedures, enabling them to provide service to individuals within the context of a healthy community and its unique population characteristics. With careful planning the M.D. and M.P.H. tracks can be completed in five years.

  In addition to being admitted to the College of Medicine, students applying to the M.D./M.P.H. program for fall 2009 must meet the admissions requirements for the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky and for the College of Public Health. All applicants must submit an application to the Graduate School, http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/, and to the College of Public Health through their on-line application service, www.sophas.org.  The prerequisites for the M.P.H., as part of the combined degree, are the same as those for the College of Medicine.

  Students in the M.D./M.P.H. program will complete the majority of the M.P.H. courses during the third year of the five-year program while enrolled solely in the College of Public Health.  However, students in good academic standing may take up to one M.P.H. course in the second semester of the first year and in each semester of the second year. Students in the fourth and fifth years of the joint degree program are enrolled full-time in the College of Medicine, but time may be available during those years for the M.P.H. practicum experience, which will be recognized for credit toward both the M.D. and the M.P.H. degrees.

• B.S./M.D. Accelerated Course of Study
  For students who know his or her future involves a career in medicine, the B.S./M.D. Accelerated Course of Study offers a chance to complete both a bachelor of science degree in biology as well as a medical degree in only seven years. Admission into the program is highly competitive. Each year only 10 undergraduates are accepted into the program. Accepted students will complete the first three years of recommended undergraduate curriculum, then apply for and complete the traditional four years of medical school. The goal of this program is to produce highly qualified medical doctors in a shorter period of time than would be required for completion of the two degrees separately. The B.S./M.D. program offers additional time to explore research, fellowship, or personal opportunities. More information about the program can be found at the B.S./M.D. Web site.
  
  UK’s B.S./M.D. program is extremely competitive.
  • High School Grade Point Average*: 3.89
  • ACT Average*: 33
  • SAT Average*: 2150
  *Averages taken from current program participants

  Master of Public Health Course of Study

  The Master of Public Health curriculum includes five areas of concentration: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Behavior, Health Services Management, and Environmental Health.  The M.P.H. degree requires 42 credit hours of study for completion.  All students must complete 18 semester hours of required core course work, 15 hours of specialty work in one of the five areas of concentration, 3 semester hours of research, 3 semester hours of field practicum experience, and 3 semester hours of a Capstone project paper and oral defense.

  Core Courses – 15 Credit Hours
  CPH 604	Public Health and Disease Prevention	3
  STA 580	Biostatistics I	3
  CPH 601	Occupational/Environmental Health I	3
  CPH 605	Epidemiology	3
  CPH 650	Management of Public Health Organizations	3
  Overview Course - Required
  CPH 663	Public Health Practice and Administration	3
  Research Hours Selective – 3 Credit Hours
  Determined by Area of Concentration		3
  Required Field Experience
  CPH 609	Practicum Field Experience	3
  Capstone Project – 3 Credit Hours
  CPH 608		3
  Courses required in concentration area (varies by concentration)		15
  Total		42

  Application Process For Fall, 2009
  Students accepted to the Fall 2009 College of Medicine entering class should indicate their interest in being considered for admission to the M.D./M.P.H. program by letter no later than April 1st to:
  Dr. Carol Elam
  Assistant Dean for Admissions
  University of Kentucky College of Medicine
  MN 118, 800 Rose Street
  Lexington, KY 40536-0298

  The deadline for receipt of application materials to the College of Public Health is April 1, 2009. For additional information on the College of Public Health please contact:

  Ms. Laverne R. Carter
  Director of Admissions
  College of Public Health
  121 Washington Ave., Room 120
  University of Kentucky
  Lexington, KY 40536-0003
  Phone: (859) 218-2066
  Fax: (859) 257-5624
  E-mail: ukcph@uky.edu

  

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