Rural Pathway Program Application Information

Who Can Apply?

Undergraduates 

The spring semester of the sophomore year (or junior year if taking a gap year) is the ideal time to apply.

A timeline for the Rural Pathway Program showing that students should apply for the program each year on March 1. Programming begins June 1. Clinical shadowing occurs in Summer. Rural Pathway Program events occur during the Fall and Spring semesters. Clinical shadowing picks back up in the following Summer semester. 

Post-Graduates and Professionals

Post-graduate students and working professionals on extended timelines to medical school and medical re-applicants are also welcome to apply. It is recommended that non-traditional students contact our Program Director, Kathleen Spears, for personal consultation on individual goals and appropriate timeline for Pathway matriculation.

High School Students Cannot Apply

High school students are not eligible for this program, but those interested in alternative learning opportunities in regional healthcare may contact the Northwest Missouri Area Health Education Center, a partner of UMKC School of Medicine and Mosaic Life Care.

Required Application Materials

  • Personal contact information
  • Key demographic information about you
  • Copies of your unofficial academic transcript(s) in PDF format for all of the schools you attended. Official transcripts are not required, but may be directed to Kathleen Spears upon request.
  • Confirmation that you have achieved or are pending achievement of a Bachelor’s degree at a 4-year accredited institution
  • Your responses to the four essay prompts below (limit 1000 words)
  • A copy of your current CV in PDF format (see example link on this page)
  • A minimum of two letters of recommendation from faculty members, healthcare workers or other advocates who may speak to your fit for this program and dedication to rural medicine initiatives.
    • At least one letter should be from a science faculty member at your institution or mentor of equivalent status if you are no longer academically enrolled.
    • At least one letter should be from an individual who knows you in another capacity (clinical, community service, volunteer, or otherwise) who can speak to your positive attributes.
    • A Health Professions Committee Letter of Recommendation is also acceptable if available at your academic institution. When submitting a committee letter, only one letter of documentation is required.
    • Please tell your letter writers to email Kathleen Spears directly. Letters should preferrably be on letterhead and from a professional or institutional.

Academic and Prerequisite Course Requirements

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA and BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math) GPA of 3.2 to apply.

Successful applicants will have completed or be enrolled in any four out of the 10 science courses listed below. Applicants should complete the courses prior to application or have achieved undergraduate or professional degrees that included the following coursework.

Labs associated with these classes are strongly encouraged.

  • General Biology I
  • General Biology II
  • General Chemistry I
  • General Chemistry II
  • Organic Chemistry I
  • Cell Biology*
  • Biochemistry*
  • General Physics I
  • General Physics II
  • Genetics*

*Minimum pre-requisites for UMKC School of Medicine

The courses below are additional recommended courses that do not need to be completed prior to application but will substantially maximize student benefit achieved from program activities:

  •  English elective
  •  Composition or writing course
  •  Statistics
  •  Psychology/social science

AP Courses

If your college or university awarded you credit for any AP courses, they must be listed on your college transcript. If they are not listed individually on your college transcript, you must send a letter from your college registrar indicating the AP courses and the course requirements that they fulfill at your college or university.