Advocates in Medicine Pathway (AMP) Program

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, interested individuals do not need to be a WI residents. Preference is given to individuals who have ties to central Wisconsin and who have an interest in rural medicine. However, we may make an exception for out-of-state individuals that meet other criteria. Tuition, lodging, and etc. are at the expense of the student. Students will receive a stipend for participating in the 8-week WI AHEC (North Central region) Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) 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” at the UWSP at Wausau for spring, attend advising sessions with the AMP coordinator, the 1-week clinical rotation, and the WI AHEC (North Central region) Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) for the months of June and July.

The 1-credit “HPW 299: Wicked Problems in Medicine" course and the AMP advising sessions will be virtual on Wednesday evenings from 5 – 7 p.m. so participants will not need to report to the UWSP-Wausau campus during the spring semester. However, the 1-week clinical rotation and the WI AHEC (North Central region) Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) will be in-person so it is required for individuals to relocate for these components.

Unfortunately, AMP is not a tuition assistance program, and we are not able to provide funding for other courses. We are 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 placement in the WI AHEC (North Central region) Community Health Internship Program (CHIP), which is a paid summer internship.

In previous cycles, we were able to waive the tuition cost for the "HPW 299: Wicked Problems in Medicine" 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.

The WI AHEC (North Central region) Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) internships in 2021 and 2022 were a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid models. In 2023, we anticipate the internships to resume in-person so students will need to relocate to the Wausau/Marathon County area for June and July.

Each individual 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. Most of the sites available for AMP students are in the Wausau/Marathon County area.

In addition to the application, all applicants must attach:

1. A current unofficial transcript or official transcript as proof of admission
2. A current resume
3. Include a personal statement describing their background and career goals as well as how they feel the AMP Program will benefit them in reaching these goals

Applications will be accepted from August 1 through November 1. The AMP team will review all applications and pre-select a group of students. Pre-selected individuals will need to schedule a 1-on-1 interview via Zoom. If selected for an interview, please dress professionally and prepare for an interview.

We will be piloting the new direct interview option. As successfully graduated participants are pulling their medical school application together, they will need to set up an appointment with the AMP program director, Dr. Amy Prunuske, aprunuske@mcw.edu. If you meet certain criteria, she can submit a letter of recommendation that will give you a direct interview for MCW-Central Wisconsin.