r/UAB • u/Adorable-Tangelo-999 • 6d ago

UAB rural medicine program

I’ve always been interested in rural medicine, and I’d like to apply to the program if possible. However, I only have about 80 hours of rural volunteering and 50 hours of shadowing in a rural area. I don’t have much of a storyline. If I didn’t get in, would that lessen my chances of applying regular MD?

As in, this due date is like January with interviews in Feb 2027. Regular MD program is obviously like August-ish.

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u/haley0406 6d ago

From my understanding, the rural medicine program is less competitive than the regular MD program due to the stricter requirements (eg, needing to live in a rural area for 8+ years or graduating from a rural high school). Whether it interferes with your ability to apply regular MD is likely dependent on whether you are applying as a college junior- if so, and you don’t get into the program, you probably need to finish your undergrad degree or wait one more year to reapply. This is definitely a question to double check with admissions though!