RUSCH Application Process

Thank you for your interest in applying for the Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health (RUSCH). To begin, you should establish an account through the School of Medicine and Public Health’s application portal and select the RUSCH program application.

Students are required to submit the following:

Resume or CV, which should include all employment, leadership and service activities since high school
Written responses to three essay questions (one page single spaced per essay)
Unofficial undergraduate school transcript(s)
Two people (academic and personal) who will serve as references

Please see the application portal for more detailed information about the application, including deadlines. The online application opens in November and is due in January each year.

What We Look For

Selection for RUSCH is competitive. Criteria for selection include demonstrated community service commitment, student academic performance and interest in urban or rural underserved medical practice.

Qualifications for consideration for RUSCH include:

U.S. citizen, permanent resident, DACA, refugee and asylee
Enrolled undergraduate student at UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, UW-Platteville, UW–Madison or Spelman College, as well as Native American college students with at least sophomore standing and two years remaining before graduation
Desire to become a physician addressing health care needs in a medically underserved area
Demonstrated commitment to community service
Completion of introductory courses in English, math, and science specific to each campus, with a minimum grade of “B” in each course at the time of application
Minimum science and overall GPA of 3.0
First summer: available to participate in the summer community health internship in local communities (eight-week program, full-time 40 hours/week, on-site in rural and urban communities across Wisconsin, during June and July)
Second summer: available to participate in the summer research program in Madison (eight-week residential program, full-time 40 hours/week, during June and July)

Participants

Typically 10-15 students participate in each RUSCH cohort. More than 100 students have been selected to participate in the program since the program began in 2009.

Learning Objectives

RUSCH, a collaborative effort of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Platteville, UW-Parkside and Spelman College, affords selected students the opportunity to:

Increase exposure to and expand knowledge of careers in medicine
Work side by side with current UW School of Medicine and Public Health physicians, faculty and medical students
Participate in community health improvement projects
Conduct medical research
Participate in experiences that will develop knowledge, skills and attitudes to strengthen application to medical school