Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP)
Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP) is a 4-week elective, immersion experience. For many students, this is their first extended clinical involvement. During the summer between the first and second year of medical school, students will spend four weeks on-site in a rural or underserved community working closely with a primary care physician. RUOP placements may be found throughout Idaho and the WWAMI region.
This program provides WWAMI medical students with early exposure to the challenges and rewards of practicing primary care medicine in a rural or urban-underserved setting and an opportunity to learn how community healthcare systems function.
RUOP students may choose to engage in community assessment activities, using an asset-based approach to explore local resources and learn about the community’s public health concerns. This community assessment culminates in the development of a research project, which students present at the annual WWAMI Research Poster Exposition each fall.
Watch: WWAMI’s Rural Underserved Opportunities Program provides opportunity to work with Orofino’s medical and community leaders
RUOP Goals
- Provide students with early exposure to the challenges and rewards of working with rural and underserved communities
- Encourage students to consider a future in rural and underserved community medicine
Ideal RUOP preceptors are primary care physicians who work in either a rural community and/or an underserved clinic. On occasion, rural general surgeons have been welcomed to participate.
As a general rule, rural is defined as a community designated by a rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) code of 4 through 10. Please reach out if you have questions about whether your site qualifies.
Preceptors must commit to mentoring a student for a consecutive four-week period during the summer.
As the primary preceptor, you would be responsible for providing direct supervision during the student's clinical rotation. However, it is acceptable for RUOP students to spend time with other preceptors.
We expect students to spend 30-35 hours each week in clinic.
This clinical experience is not graded, but students do appreciate the opportunity for informal feedback from their preceptors.
Idaho WWAMI students are prepared!
Our students have had over 250 hours of primary care clinical exposure by the time they start their RUOP experience. Thus, students will have significant practice with taking patient histories and performing physical exams.
Precepting is rewarding!
Every year, our preceptors comment on the enjoyment clinical teaching brings. Young, enthusiastic learners challenge them to be their best. Furthermore, patients enjoy interacting with the students and seeing their physicians in a teaching role.
UW Faculty appointment
Clinical faculty appointments are one way that the UW School of Medicine recognizes physicians who play a critical role supporting WWAMI’s teaching and research missions. RUOP preceptors are eligible to be recognized as clinical faculty at UWSOM. Learn more about this opportunity.
CME Credits
If you are a family physician, your participation as a RUOP preceptor qualifies you for CME credits through a membership in the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), which allows up to 20 hours per year for Precepting/Education. More information.
If you are not a family physician, you are still eligible for AMA Category 2 CME credits.