A crucial mission of the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine (UCI SOM) is to educate highly qualified physicians to serve the diverse populations of California. UCI SOM is therefore proud to offer the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). This five-year combined Medical Degree/Master’s training Program responds to an increasing demand for physician-leaders who are culturally sensitive and linguistically competent to address the specific needs of Latinos, the largest single population group in the state.

Students from all backgrounds are eligible for enrollment in the program upon acceptance to UCI SOM. Successful applicants should have outstanding academic credentials, at least competent Spanish-language conversation ability, and a significant commitment to the Latino community and service. We encourage all who are interested to apply.

Students in the PRIME-LC Program will also obtain a relevant graduate degree in public health, business administration, health policy or related field. These degrees will facilitate the goal of creating clinician leaders for underserved Latino communities. We expect that PRIME-LC students will assume not only clinical roles, but also act as advocates and leaders in the communities they will serve. The second degree will provide the expertise and credentials to support this role.

Highlights from the overall curriculum include:

A summer immersion program in the month prior to the first year of medical school (MS1 year).
The cases used in the Clinical Foundations course during the MS1 year have been changed to feature Spanish-speaking standardized patients and issues of culture and health. These classes are led by physicians who have devoted their careers to Latino communities.
Students complete a longitudinal project related to Latino health and guided by a faculty mentor.
Students’ Patient-Centered Clerkship longitudinal rotation is focused on practices which primarily care for Latinos.
Monthly PRIME-LC Student-Faculty meetings, which include dialogues between students and faculty regarding Latino health issues and professional development.
In the MS2 year, Clinical Foundations continues, and students participate in the second course from the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies (CLS).
The MS2 and MS3 CLS courses focus on contemporary issues in the health of Latinos and are taught by leading Medical Anthropologists and Psychologists in this field. The course is taught through small seminars and provides a critical context for issues of social justice, culture, and health disparities as students see patients in clinics and in the hospital.
The MS3 year features not only the final course from the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies, but PRIME-LC students are also given priority for clinical rotations in UCI centers featuring low-income Latino populations. PRIME-LC students learn from faculty who share their passion to make a difference in the health of Latinos.
Between the MS3 and MS4 years, PRIME-LC sponsors a one-month clinical rotation at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Hospital in Lima, Peru, as a contrast to the medical system in the U.S.; All PRIME-LC students complete this rotation together, affording another important chance to bond with your fellow PRIMISTAS.
The Master’s degree program is usually completed in the MS4 year. Students have focused on degrees in public health, business administration, public policy, international health, demographics and social analysis, public health in developing countries, healthcare law, and even philosophy. While most students stay in Southern California, the reputation of PRIME-LC and the students’ commitment to underserved medicine, have helped them to gain acceptance and scholarships at highly competitive schools such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia University.

Rev. 4/13/2018