RUUTE Scholars Requirements
Requirements
The required criteria for achieving the RUUTE Scholars designation is listed below in each of the four areas of engagement: Academic, Community Engagement, Clinical Engagement, and Leadership Development
By applying to Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah as a RUUTE Scholar, you commit to participate in the following activities throughout your medical school career.
Academic
RUUTE Scholars are expected to engage in rigorous academic coursework, research, or hands on learning in rural communities. Academic engagement provides the opportunity for students to explore rural healthcare through the lens of academia. This requirement encourages RUUTE Scholars to demonstrate a commitment to scholarly inquiry, critical thinking, and academic achievement throughout their medical school journey in relation to RUUTE and rural/underserved medicine. RUUTE Scholars are required to pick one of the following
This is an immersive 8-week summer research experience that is available for students during the intersession between Phase 1 and Phase 2
Students will identify and collaborate with a SFESOM faculty member to develop a rural or underserved health research project to work on over the summer. Selected students will receive a stipend to work on their project during the 8-week summer experience and be expected to work roughly 35-40 hours a week for the entirety of the program. Students will gain first-hand experience conducting scientific research and will work towards completing a scientific research poster to present at the Medical Student Research Forum that occurs in the fall each year.
Research opportunities can be found independent from RUUTE as well. Please check in with a RUUTE team member to see if your research fits our criteria. If you are interested please visit our Medical Student Research webpage
The RUUTE Community Engagement Experience (CEE) familiarizes students with identifying community health needs and creating intervention(s) to address that need. Students will become immersed in the community via clinical time and community service. By completing this experience in a rural area, students will develop a well-rounded understanding of differences in health systems. CEE also creates mutually beneficial relationships with rural communities. Overall, CEE is a robust learning opportunity for students that fosters foundational, experiential, and interdisciplinary learning in varied cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic settings and we hope it will be highly valued in students’ growth as a healthcare professional.
If you are a SFESOM medical student interested in participating in CEE, please visit our CEE webpage
Time commitment for Students: 5 Weeks
Rural & Underserved coursework for RUUTE Scholars may include courses from pathways, graduate certificates, RUUTE elective classes, and more. All coursework must be approved by the RUUTE Team to ensure alignment with program goals and to prepare Scholars to address the unique needs of these communities.
Community Engagement
Scholars are required and encouraged to participate in opportunities that highlight the importance of rural health and engage with rural and underserved communities in the intermountain west. Scholars will have the option to assist with direct pipeline activities in these areas through educational lessons taught to K-12 students, by researching community needs through our CEE program, or by becoming mentors for undergraduates interested in rural medicine.
Participate in one (1) Rural Outreach Program (ROP) trip in a rural/underserved community, where students are required to teach health science modules to high school students. ROP trips are scheduled during academic breaks and run one to five days in length.
The RUUTE program has developed a K-12 outreach pipeline where the RUUTE team visits K-12 schools in rural/underserved areas to get elementary students excited and interested in the health sciences. You can accompany the team and teach a class with them or teach a class by yourself or with a peer. This is similar to the rural outreach programs, but are done outside of winter and spring break. If you are interested in Little RUUTEs, visit our webpage.
RUUTE Undergraduate Ambassadors are undergrad students from all colleges/universities in Utah and the intermountain west interested in the health sciences. To assist and mentor these students you will be assigned an undergraduate student at the start of each semester you participate. You are required to meet with your undergraduate student at least two (2) times per semester, or more as needed, to discuss a variety of topics related to SFESOM and medical student life. If you are interested in participating, email Kacey.Madsen@hsc.utah.edu and visit our RUUTE Undergraduate Ambassador webpage for more information.
SURE student mentoring is designed for medical students who have a passion for research to provide support for the undergraduate cohort through being a resource, to ask questions, and available to provide advice and research knowledge throughout the experience. If you are interested, reach out to Kacey.Madsen@hsc.utah.edu and visit our webpage for more information.
Clinical Engagement
Clinical Engagement focuses on providing scholars with practical experience and exposure to clinical settings in rural/underserved areas of Utah and the intermountain west. Scholars are expected to participate in clinical experiences, shadowing opportunities, and longitudinal clinical exposures that allow them to apply theoretical knowledge to the real world. This requirement ensures that scholars develop essential clinical skills, gain valuable insights into the daily activities of rural/underserved physicians, and are well-prepared for a future in medicine. Completing one rural clinical engagement experience is required of RUUTE Scholars.
At the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clinical experiences, many of which can take place in rural communities. These experiences can include elective rotations lasting 2-4 weeks in a variety of specialties. In addition, students may have access to further opportunities to explore clinical settings in rural areas. Interested students can collaborate with the RUUTE team to discuss and plan these experiences, ensuring alignment with their academic and career goals.
At the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, medical students will participate in Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LICs). LIC's offer students an opportunity to learn about and explore different specialties in medicine and include the students as members of the health care team. A Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship is "a model of clinical education in which students participate in the comprehensive care of patients over time, engage in continuity of relationships with preceptors and evaluators, and meet core clinical competencies across multiple disciplines simultaneously" (International Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships). RUUTE helps to facilitate LIC's in rural and underserved areas throughout Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.
Leadership Development
Leadership Development aims to cultivate future leaders who possess the skills, vision, and understanding to effect positive change in their communities and beyond. RUUTE Scholars are provided with opportunities to provide leadership, participate in networking, and learn from rural providers. This requirement provides RUUTE Scholars the opportunity to enhance their leadership capabilities to be used throughout their career as a physician. RUUTE Scholars must select to participate in two of the following:
Upon completing a ROP trip during Phase 1, you have the opportunity to apply to participate in ROP leadership. If selected, you will assist in ROP member recruitment and mentorship, establish budget funding from stakeholders, and write evaluation reports. For more information please view our webpage.
The Rural Speaker Series offers rural/underserved medical providers the opportunity to share their experience practicing and living in a rural/underserved area. As a RUUTE scholar, you are asked to attend at least four (4) Rural Speaker Series, assist in provider recruitment, and assist in provider introduction and meeting logistics.
Taking on leadership within your community or other interest groups on campus, allows you to be able to make the connection to how to better serve your rural/underserved communities. This will allow you to address social determinants of health in a variety of settings, such as, community health clinics, food banks, after school programs, etc. A self-directed community leadership project need to be approved by the RUUTE team prior and should be no less than 15 hours of volunteering time.
Throughout your time as a RUUTE scholar, you could be presented with the opportunity to participate in regional affairs, student panels or leadership, be involved in legislative involvement, variety of speaker, events, conferences, etc. These experiences can vary in time and level of commitment. Participating in these experiences can count towards your leadership development.
When you are involved in recent about your medical school journey, you have the opportunity to submit an abstract, Op-Ed piece, or research article to the medical student research journal, and if accepted, it will count towards your Leadership and Professional Development requirement.
SFESOM Idaho students are encouraged to become members of the Idaho Medical Association.
The IMA offers members a wide range of benefits and services including (but not limited to) professional involvement, legislative representation, and reimbursement assistance for services rendered. A medical student representative is selected to represent the SFESOM at IMA board meetings, IMA annual meetings, and is a voting member of the association. Membership fees are waived for medical students.
To find more ways to donate towards rural medical student scholarships, please visit the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Website.
CONTACT US
Please contact the RUUTE Team with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Email: RUUTE@umail.utah.edu