UCAM
What is UCAM?
Urban Community Ambulatory Medicine (UCAM) is a unique 12-week continuous, longitudinal experience for year three or four University of Minnesota medical students. UCAM satisfies eight weeks of required credits including the required family medicine clerkship, four-week advanced selective credit, and four weeks of elective credit. The 12 weeks will be spent in the same family medicine clinic in an urban setting serving a population that predominantly includes lower-income patients from diverse backgrounds.
INTERESTED STUDENTS
What makes a good UCAM Candidate?
● High interest in pursuing a career in primary care and are actively considering a career in family medicine.
● Interested in learning more about cultures, underserved populations, and advocating for yourself as a medical professional and for your patients.
● Fluency in another language such as Spanish allows you to be placed in a clinic with providers and patients that speak that language.
● Wanting the continuity of a single site location working with the same preceptors and following patients in their healthcare journey.
When is UCAM?
● UCAM takes place over three, 4-week blocks:
○ Fall: F1-F3
○ Spring: SP1-SP3
○ Summer: SP4-S2 (new MS4s only)
SITE INFORMATION
● M Health Fairview Clinic - Bethesda, St. Paul, MN
● M Physicians Broadway Family Medicine Clinic, Minneapolis, MN
● Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC), Minneapolis, MN
● Minnesota Community Care, St. Paul, MN
● Park-Nicollet - Creekside, St. Louis Park, MN
● M Health Fairview Clinic - Smiley’s, Minneapolis, MN
● United Family Medicine Residency Program, St. Paul, MN
** Site availability varies throughout the year, and will work with UCAM students to assign site placements based on preferences and availability. **
CURRICULUM DESIGN
- Twelve continuous weeks in a family medicine clinic serving underserved populations
- In-person and virtual curriculum sessions surrounding advocacy, clinical care, culture, and underserved populations
- UCAM satisfies the following credits:
○ FMCH 7600, Family Medicine Clerkship (4 credits, required)
○ FMCH 7700, UCAM Acting Internship Family Medicine (4 credits, required)
○ FMCH 7511, UCAM (4 credits, hands-on elective)
UCAM APPLICATION PROCESS
Students interested in participating in UCAM should complete the UCAM application. UCAM is facilitated on the Twin Cities campus. Duluth medical students interested in participating in UCAM should connect with their academic advisor to discuss housing and stipend options.
UCAM does not require an interview, but we do schedule meetings in early February to discuss applicant lane and site preferences. UCAM is an alternative-LIC, structured around clinical lanes. Our meetings are intentionally scheduled after LIC interviews and acceptance letters.
UCAM meeting requests will be sent to all applicants who do not accept a traditional LIC rotation.
The Family Medicine Medical Student Education Coordinator will work with the Medical School to ensure UCAM students are placed in the appropriate lane to complete their UCAM rotation.
Deadline for AY25-26 UCAM: November 2024
Please note: Students interested in participating in UCAM but have missed the deadline are welcome to complete the application. Priority capacity and site placements will go to students who met the application deadline. The Family Medicine Medical Student Education Coordinator will reach out to interested students with information surrounding course availability.
WHAT PAST STUDENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT UCAM
“... UCAM was the perfect length of time, not only because I got to experience continuity of care with patients, but also because l was able to form great teaching-learning relationships with attendings and residents.” Arman Shahriar (UCAM 2020)
“UCAM was one of my favorite parts of medical school. I was able to develop a little continuity with my patients by being at the same clinic for an extended amount of time which definitely enriched my appreciation for family medicine. I learned valuable lessons about how medicine is practiced in the “real world” from my UCAM faculty such as programs to assist patients outside of traditional clinic-based medicine and barriers potentially faced by different groups of patients. Although my current clinic population in rural Minnesota varies greatly from the population I worked with in St. Paul, I still apply what I learned daily. If I had to do medical school again, I would choose the UCAM program in a heartbeat.” - Dr. Katie Hinderaker, Mayo Clinic Health System, Lake City, MN (UCAM 2015)
“The UCAM program truly taught me the meaning of community. By having a longitudinal rotation at an urban primary care clinic, I was able to have a more immersive experience with a diverse patient population and achieve more continuity of care. Additionally, the didactics with fellow students and our preceptors helped me critically think more about the socioeconomic and cultural factors that affect healthcare. The program helped inspire me to pursue a career in primary care as well as continue with medically focused volunteering and teaching opportunities to help work towards the goal of providing culturally competent care to the community.” - Dr. Thuy Nguyen Tran, Alina Health, Savage, MN (UCAM 2014)
“UCAM changed the course of my medical education. I was looking for a longitudinal clinical experience that would highlight the ongoing relationships between patients and primary care providers, which was something I found to be missing from my other clinical rotations. I was matched at United Family Medicine (UFM) and had an incredibly immersive and captivating experience with the faculty and staff of that clinic. I eventually matched into UFM for residency and could not imagine my medical career going any other way. As a direct result of my experience in UCAM and residency, I was able to continue to work in an underserved setting in my first position as a staff physician.” - Peter Meyers, MD, MPH, Minnesota Community Care, MN (UCAM 2013)