Providing Support Services for Medical Students on a Rural Regional Medical Campus

Abstract

One hundred fourteen regional medical campuses (RMCs) are currently recognized by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). This large number has been the result of the recognized need to train more physicians to serve a growing population and to address the uneven distribution of physicians in North America. Several RMCs were established in less populated regions, with the expectation that many trainees would eventually choose to practice in more rural locales. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) mandates that a RMC must provide an academic program for its medical students equivalent to that provided on the main campus and must also provide equivalent support services for medical students. The small, rural RMC of the University of Kansas School of Medicine (KUSM) in Salina was established in 2011 with a mission to train more physicians who would serve rural Kansas. This RMC has successfully implemented an academic program. The authors report how the Salina RMC has satisfied the student support services described in the new standards for accreditation for July 2015.