Medical Student Education

Medical students talking during a course

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_{Photos by Adria Carpenter, courtesy of University Libraries.}

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A person is looking at resources at a course

This is an image modal dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. Pressing the Close Modal "X" button at the top of the modal will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

_{Photos by Adria Carpenter, courtesy of University Libraries.}

The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health provides comprehensive medical education to all students. Our faculty and community preceptors are deeply involved in teaching from the first to the fourth year, including hands-on electives. Through our clerkship, students gain insight into family medicine's vital role in healthcare and community service. Our Medical Student Education program collaborates with a diverse group of clinical educators, enhancing students' learning and preceptors' teaching skills for exceptional clinical experiences.

For Medical Students

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For Medical Students

Overview of Courses

Family medicine faculty from the Twin Cities campus teach the following educational offerings:

Required

Essentials of Clinical Medicine - required for medical students years one and two
Family Medicine Clerkship - required for third-year medical students participating in their clinical curriculum

Longitudinal

UMN medical students receive the opportunity to apply for or enroll in the following clerkships. Completion of any of these experiences fulfills the Family Medicine Clerkship requirement.

UMN Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP)

Nine-month, internationally renowned rural educational opportunity for UMN third-year medical students
Learn more about the Rural Physician Associate Program

UMN Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP)

Nine-month longitudinal elective immersing UMN third-year students in the care of an urban population and communities that are underserved with limited access to health care
Broadway Family Medicine Clinic, the clinic of our North Memorial residency program, is one of the clinic sites
Learn more about the Metropolitan Physician Associate Program

Urban Community Ambulatory Medicine (UCAM)

Twelve-week urban medicine clerkship for UMN third- or fourth-year students
Learn more about Urban Community Ambulatory Medicine

Examples of electives

Addiction and Substance Use
Cardiology for Primary Care
Community Family Medicine
Family Medicine Obstetrics
Family Medicine Research
Hospice Care
Human Sexuality Research
Introduction to Residency in Family Medicine
Rural Family Medicine
Sexual Problems in Clinical Medicine
Sleep Disorders Medicine
Sports Medicine

Learn about the Center for Interprofessional Health (CIH) Rural Rotation Scholarship. Apply for $300 in travel and housing assistance for required and elective rotations.

Contact [email protected] for University of Minnesota 3rd and 4th-year student rural rotation stipends:

Four-week rotation AND >60 miles from home: $2,000
Two-week rotation OR <60 miles from home: $1,000

View all elective course directory

Visiting Students

Most rotations are with the University of Minnesota family medicine residency programs - apply in VSLO. Applications are accepted beginning in March for the 2025-26 academic year (May 5, 2025 - April 5, 2026). If you are interested in rotations with CentraCare St. Cloud and/or CentraCare Willmar Rural family medicine residency programs, apply here.

The following family medicine electives are available to visiting students with the exact dates listed in VSLO.

Acting Intern in Family Medicine rotation dates include:

5/5-6/1/25
6/2-6/29/25
6/30-7/27/25
7/28-8/24/25
9/1-9/28/25
9/29-10/26/25
10/27-11/23/25
11/24-12/21/25
1/5-2/1/26

Students will be notified of their placement 4 weeks prior to rotation start date.

To qualify, students must attend domestic LCME-accredited or COCA-accredited medical schools and earn credits for elective rotations.

Please visit the Medical School’s Visiting Students page for more information on student eligibility and the application process. A limited number of reimbursements for the VSLO fee are available for in-person courses (approximately $242). Email the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Medical Student Education (MSE) office at [email protected] after completing the course to request reimbursement or for additional information.

Learn about the DFMCH Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Medical Student Scholarship: $1,000 in travel and housing assistance for an acting intern rotation