LIC Info: MetroPAP

Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP)

The Metropolitan Physician Associate Program (MetroPAP) is a nine-month clerkship for third-year medical students who want to serve patients in urban communities. The program provides students with a strong clinical curriculum in an urban-based primary care practice and hospital.

MetroPAP students gain continuity experiences with patients, families, preceptors, staff, and the community—following patients through the hospital, clinic, emergency room, nursing home, and other venues of care. In this way, students see the impact of health and disease on the everyday lives of patients, as well as their families and communities.

MetroPAP Website

Locations

5-7 sites in the Twin Cities; 1 in St. Cloud

Video Clips

Previous Students' Feedback

  • It was an amazing experience! Very thankful for the opportunity to be a MetroPAP student.
  • It was a wonderful experience where you feel truly integrated into the team. Others get to see your growth which is very valuable feedback. It is also really fun to see patients multiple times over the year. Everyone really wants you to learn and get a lot out of the experience. 
  • MetroPAP has been the most educationally defining time for me. I have learned to be self-directed in my learning, pursue what I am interested in, and seek ways to affect change. I know that I have been able to have way more autonomy and hands on experience being the only student at my clinic and loved my time working with the residents in the hospital. I wouldn't trade this time for anything!

This LIC is focused on outpatient, clinic-based community healthcare. Students will learn about population health, community engagement and advocacy, systems-change and practice-based learning, comprehensive, cost-effective urban primary care practices.

Unique Projects

  • Community Health Assessment project integrates the student into the local culture
  • Integration with social service systems
  • Students accepted to the program may have an opportunity to apply to an optional Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training program.

Clerkships Completed

  • Primary Care: Intro (includes Family Medicine), Intermediate, Acting Internship
  • Acting Internship: Outpatient Advanced Selective
  • Emergency Medicine
  • OB/GYN 
  • Psychiatry
  • Pediatrics
  • Surgery
  • Neurology

Credits Completed

  • 36 on site, 16 pre-requisite

Prerequisites

  • Sit for USMLE Step 1 exam before the start of your prerequisite courses
  • Complete 2-week "bursts" in Ob/Gyn, Neurology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry
  • Complete Internal Medicine (MED 1)
  • Complete the above clinical experiences before the start of MetroPAP

Application Instructions

General Email: rpapumn@umn.edu (preferred)

Program Director: Kirby Clark, MD  clark130@umn.edu

Associate Director: Ray Christensen, MD  rchriste@d.umn.edu

Educational Programs Specialist: Laurel Sweeney, MS  lsweeney@umn.edu 

Operations Programs Specialist: Veronica Olson  verolson@d.umn.edu

Faculty and Communications Coordinator: Avalon George  avalong@umn.edu