Advocates in Medicine Pathway

AMP is geared towards college juniors and seniors as well as individuals who have graduated from a Bachelor’s degree program and have a strong desire to attend medical school in the future but have not yet been admitted to medical school. Preference is given to individuals who come from rural and/or Hmong backgrounds and have connections to central Wisconsin.

Currently, as an applicant, students do not need to be a Wisconsin resident. Preference is given to students who have ties to Central WI and who have an interest in rural medicine. However, we may make an exception for out-of-state students that meet other criteria. Tuition, lodging, and etc. are at the expense of the student. Students will receive $2400 for participating in the 8-week CHIP (Community Health Internship Program) in June and July to help offset some of the expenses.

Once accepted into the program, students must commit to registering for the 1 credit “HPW 299: Wicked Problems in Medicine: Opioid Addiction” at the UWSP at Wausau for spring 2022, attend advising sessions with the AMP coordinator, the 1 week clinical rotation, and the Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) for the months of June and July.

The 1-credit "HPW 299: Wicked Problems in Medicine: Opioid Addiction” course at the UWSP at Wausau and advising sessions will all take place virtually in the Spring so students will not need to report to the UWSP-Wausau campus. However, the one week clinical rotation will take place in person but it will depend on the current status of the pandemic at that time. However, the one-week clinical rotation will take place in person, depending on the current status of the pandemic at that time. Students will need to be in the Wausau area during the months of June and July for the Community Health Internship Program (CHIP), although rare exceptions may be made to allow students a placement in an alternate location in North Central AHEC’s 11 county service area.

In 2021 we were able to waive the tuition cost for the "HPW 299: Wicked Problems in Medicine: Opioid Addiction” course thanks to a generous donation. At this time we are unsure whether funding will be available to waive the 1-credit course tuition for the incoming AMP cohort. Unfortunately, AMP is not a tuition assistance program, and we are not able to provide funding for other courses. AMP is a pipeline program that provides professional development and medical-related experiences for students free of charge. This varies from year to year but may include MCAT test prep financial assistance or financial assistance to attend professional development activities such as conferences, including travel costs. In addition, students receive a free computer and a placement in the AHEC Community Health Internship (CHIP) program, which is a paid summer internship.

Because of the pandemic, the 2021 CHIP internships were in-person, virtual, and hybrid models. The hope is that the CHIP program will take place in person, however this could change depending on the current state of COVID-19 in summer 2022.

Each student will be placed at a community service agency. All projects are focused on various areas of community health. Multiple project options are available, and students will have the opportunity to provide input on which internship they would like to be assigned to. Most of the sites available for AMP students are in the Wausau area.

The program coordinator and her supervisors will review all applications after November 8. After they have pre-selected a group of students, they will reach out to each of them to schedule a 1-on-1 interview via Zoom. If selected for an interview, please dress professional and prepare for an interview.