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PROGRAM IN MEDICAL EDUCATION (PRIME) ACADEMY

What is the PRIME Academy?

The Programs in Medical Education (PRIME) Academy is a one-week experience designed to help pre-medical students who aspire to address the health needs of California’s Latino, African, Black and Caribbean communities pursue a career in medicine. Our Academy helps scholars to gain knowledge, skills, and experience which will advance their ability to champion social justice and foster health equity. Our goal is to facilitate a pathway to one of the UCI School of Medicine’s two PRIME programs.

What are the UC Irvine School for Medicine PRIME programs?

With the goal of training physicians to meet the needs of under-resourced communities, UC Irvine School of Medicine offers two Programs in Medical Education (PRIME) that provide enhanced medical school curriculum emphasizing leadership, advocacy and service.

PRIME-LC: Established by the UC Irvine School of Medicine in 2003, the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC) is a five-year MD/Master’s program that is committed to train physicians to address the needs of California’s Latino communities.

PRIME-LEAD ABC: PRIME- Leadership Education to Advance Diversity–African, Black and Caribbean (LEAD-ABC) is the first medical school program in the nation designed to specifically develop physician-leaders who will serve the unique health needs of ABC communities.

Who should apply to the PRIME-Academy?

Candidates should have enrolled in, or completed degrees, in 4-year undergraduate institutions and have interest in applying to the UCI School of Medicine PRIME Programs. Like our PRIME medical students, applicants should have a record of experience in disadvantaged Latino, African, Black and/or Caribbean communities and a demonstrated passion to serve these communities in medical school and beyond. Applicants from all backgrounds are welcome to apply to the academy.

Schedule (Subject to Change)

Session 1 (Remote): July 10-14, 2023

Session 2 (In-person): July 24-28, 2023

Activities

activities

UCI School of Medicine is closely monitoring the community spread of COVID-19. If local health authorities and UCI Campus policy permits, we plan to hold one virtual and one in-person session of the PRIME Academy.

Remote/Virtual Program- Our virtual PRIME-LC Academy is a one-week (Mon-Fri) half-day experience from approximately 9AM-1PM. While we are continuing to develop our virtual curriculum, we anticipate our PRIME-LC Academy Scholars will take part in a variety of activities including:

Leadership Training - PRIME-LC Academy pre-health scholars will receive instruction on being a successful physician-leader from experienced faculty and volunteers.

PRIME Medical Student Forum- Current UCI Medical Students will give fascinating insight into the life of a medical student.

Community Experience - Scholars will hear from community-based partners in Central Orange County and Long Beach, California.

Medical Lectures- Scholars will learn about a wide range of clinical topics including clinical reasoning, anatomy, CPR, etc.
Advocacy Training- Scholars will learn the key ways that physicians can advocate for the health of their communities.
Standardized Patient Experience- Students will interview standardized patient actors to gather medical information and work in teams to come to a diagnosis.
Games and Team Building- Build strong relationships with your scholar cohort as you play games and solve competitive puzzles with your team.

In-Person Experience- Our in person program will be a one-week (Mon-Fri) day experience running from approximately 9:00AM-4:00PM daily. Students will experience all curriculum of the above and in addition participate in:

Medical Resuscitation- In the renowned UCI Medical Education Simulation Center, learners will learn and practice the basics of medical resuscitation.
Procedure Workshops- Scholars will learn the basics in suturing, ultrasound and other common medical procedures.

Application Process

application

February 2023: Applications Open

March 2023: Application Deadline

April 2023: Acceptance Notifications

Letters of Recommendation: One letter of recommendation is required from a person who can speak to your strength as an applicant for this program (no family or relatives). This should be someone who has worked with you in an academic, extra-curricular, or community service capacity. This recommendation will be submitted through an online evaluation portal sent directly to the letter writer. This letter should include the following information

Length of time the recommender has known the student.
Capacity in which the recommender has known the student.
How/why the student will benefit from participating in the PRIME-LC Academy and what attributes the student will bring to the PRIME-LC Academy.
Optional: Comments on coursework, fieldwork, outreach, or other relevant extracurricular activities.

Transcripts: Transcripts are not required for acceptance into the PRIME-LC Academy. We may ask you to provide a copy of your transcript during the PRIME-LC Academy to facilitate individual counseling in preparing for medical school applications.

Preparing your Application

Prior to starting your application, please have the following items ready for submission:

Name and email of your letter of recommendation writer. We recommend you identify and contact your writer prior to submitting your application, asking permission to be listed as a letter writer.
Answers to the following essay questions (750 characters each):
1. What personal accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
2. Please describe a challenge or disappointment you have overcome and what you learned about yourself from that experience.
3. Please describe your connection to the Latino or ABC community. What have you learned in working with these communities?

UCI PRIME Programs

To learn more about the UCI PRIME-LC program, please visit the UCI PRIME-LC website.

To learn more about the UCI LEAD-ABC program, please visit the UCI LEAD-ABC website.

Application and Program FAQ

Application FAQ

How do I apply?

Please apply through the application link listed on the top of this website. Prior to starting your application, please have the following items ready for submission:

Name and email of your letter of recommendation writer. We recommend you identify and contact your writer prior to submitting your application, asking permission to be listed as a letter writer.
Answers to the following essay questions (750 characters each):
1. What personal accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
2. Please describe a challenge or disappointment you have overcome and what you learned about yourself from that experience.
3. Please describe your connection to the Latino or ABC community. What have you learned in working with these communities?

How does my reference submit a recommendation?

In your application, you will submit your reference’s name and email address. They will receive an automated email requesting them to complete an online reference form.

My reference did not receive the email requesting submission, what can I do?

Please have your reference check their “Spam” folder. If there is still no reference request present, please have your reference directly email medacademy@hs.uci.edu. A representative will directly send your reference the submission link.

How will I know my application is complete?

You will receive an email confirming your initial application submission. After your reference completes their application, you will receive an email notifying you that your application is complete.

Program FAQ

Where do programs take place?

UCI Medical Education, Building 836

3rd Floor: Colloquium

836 Health Sciences Rd

Irvine CA 92617

Where can I park/get dropped off?

You can park in either lot 82 or 84 (Zone 2 Commuter Areas). Those being dropped off can be dropped off at the front of lot 83, the School of Medicine entrance.

When should I arrive?

Breakfast will be served daily at 8:30AM and programming will start promptly at 9:00 AM.

When does programming end?

Programming ends at 4:00PM daily.

Are meals provided?

Breakfast and lunch are served daily.

What should I bring?

Laptop or tablet (not required)
Water bottle Sunscreen
Walking shoes
All required prescriptions in a clear plastic bag.

What will we be doing every day?

Our programs will deliver a mix of dynamic lectures, small groups, panels, games, procedure workshops and simulation experiences to give you a wide view of the field of medicine.

Are we going to be able to observe clinical care?

Due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, our academies will not allow for any patient observation or interaction. We do provide simulated experiences to give learners an authentic clinical experience.

How do I access WiFi?

Guest internet access instructions: https://www.oit.uci.edu/visitor/

Is COVID-19 vaccination required to participate?

The UCI MedAcademy follows the UCI Campus Policy requiring full vaccination status for scholars to participate in in-person activities. There approved exceptions to COVID-19 vaccination based on a Medical Exemption, Disability, or Religious Objection. Scholars may apply for exemption by emailing medacademy@hs.uci.edu.

Full University of California Policy is linked here.

Is housing available for students who do not live in Orange County?

We do not provide housing as part of our program.

Contact Us

For more information or questions, please contact us at MedAcademy@hs.uci.edu.

Looking for UCI MedAcademy? Visit the UCI MedAcademy website.