The Rural Health Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) is a program designed to address the physician shortage in rural areas, allowing students to learn an evidence-based curriculum, acquiring clinical skills and medical knowledge in a context of continuity with patients, medical staff and community. The experience inspires many to ultimately practice in similar settings.
The structure provides simultaneous clinical experiences in multiple medical specialties, facilitating rapid acquisition of core medical competencies across a broad range of content. Clinically applied medical knowledge is reinforced as students care for their assigned cohort of patients for the duration of the course and participate in weekly interactive learning sessions with rural faculty.
LIC students are enrolled in sequential terms, approximately 10 weeks in duration. Integrated specialty training takes place in rural Arizona sites; while inpatient specialty clinical bursts may take place at teaching hospitals in Phoenix.