Care of the Underserved Pathway

The four-year Care of the Underserved Pathway coordinates current offerings on underserved care and present them to students in a more formal and organized fashion across the four years. This pathway provides them with the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to provide care to underserved patients in the future, recognize them for their accomplishments while here at Baylor and encourage them to seek future residency and practice positions that will enable them to continue caring for underserved patients.

In addition, the faculty involved in this pathway strive to supplement the curriculum by serving as positive role models of physicians providing care to underserved patients.

Students who complete the pathway will receive a certificate at graduation. 

• Baylor College of Medicine Core Competencies
• Student Handbook

To Enroll in the Pathway

You will receive an email from the course director in the first week of March in MS1 year to enroll in the Capstone Elective-MEFAM 535 Community Project in Underserved Care.

You can contact the course director or coordinator during the Spring of MS1 year (Dr. Anjali Aggarwal at aaggarwa@bcm.edu.)

Overall Goals of the Care of the Underserved Pathway

• Provide students with high-quality, hands-on clinical and service-based learning experiences at a variety of underserved sites, both ambulatory and in-patient
• Encourage students to develop a scholarly interest in underserved care by conducting a research project
• Encourage students to obtain residency training in a program that emphasizes care of the underserved
• Encourage students to care for underserved patients in their future practice

Requirements for Completing the Pathway 

MS1 / MS2 Year

Complete one of these preclinical electives:

• MEFAM-407: Introduction to the Care of the Underserved 
• MEFAM-409: Longitudinal Community Medicine & Primary Care 
• MEOSA-441: Communicating Scientific & Clinical Research to Patients 
• MEFAM-447: Refugee and Immigrant Medicine 
• MEOSA-501: Deconstructing Race in Medicine and Health 
• MEFAM-530: Underserved Care Clinics (Volunteering) 
• MEPED-562: It Takes a Village: Foundations of Pediatric Advocacy
• MEPED-565: Hiding in Plain Sight: Identify/Understand Victims of Violence
• MEMED-583: A Readings in HIV-AIDS Epidemiology 
• MEMED-593: Beyond the Exam Room: Physician as Advocate

MS2 Year

Please note this elective is offered only in Fall of MS2 year.

• Capstone Elective MEFAM -535 Community Project in Underserved Care 

This is an approximately 12-week course which meets on Thursdays in the evening from 5-7 p.m. from July through October. It is designed for the second-year medical students. In this course, students complete a community project and a scholarly activity.

MS3 / MS4 Year

Complete two advanced electives: 2-4 weeks (Can be Ambulatory or Inpatient).

Advanced Elective: Inpatient

• MESUR-501: Sub-Internship Surgery
• MEMED-503: General Medicine Sub-Internship (Ben Taub Hospital)
• MEPSY-503: Emergency Psychiatry elective (4 weeks)
• MENEU-503: Neurology Sub-Internship (Ben Taub Hospital)
• MEOBG-503: Obstetrics and Gynecology Sub-Internship - please ask to be assigned to Ben Taub Hospital
• MEPSY-504: Sub Internship Psychiatry
• MEFAM-515: Family Medicine Sub-Internship (Ben Taub Hospital)
• MEPSY-545: Inpatient Psychiatry (Ben Taub Hospital)
• MEPED-547: Pediatric Sub-Internship (Texas Children’s Hospital) – please ask to be placed on the PHM service

Advanced Elective:Ambulatory

• MEPSY 200: Introduction to Emergency Psychiatry (2 week)
• MEOBG 201: HIV in Ob/Gyn elective (2 week)
• MEFAM 201: Addiction Medicine (2 week)  
• MEMED-202: Comprehensive HIV Care for the Underserved (2 week)
• MEPED 206: Complex Care in Pediatrics (2 week)  
• MEPED 207: Foster Care Pediatrics (2 week)  
• MEERM-504: Emergency Medicine 
• MEPED-506: Developmental Pediatrics
• MEFAM-511: Care of the Underserved (Northwest Health Center)
• MEPED-549: Emergency Pediatrics
• MEMED-579: Palliative Care for the Indigent
• MEMED-587: Medicine/Pediatrics Primary Care
• MEMED-630: Life with Intellectual & Developmental Disability

Recognition of the completion of the above requirements will appear on the student's official transcript and will also be noted in the commencement program.

End of Pathway Reflection Paper

Students are required to submit an end of pathway reflection paper in March prior to their graduation from Baylor College of Medicine. In this paper, students are asked to describe key experiences that have contributed to their learning about underserved care in medical school. Students are asked to explain how these key experiences have contributed to their learning in at least three of the following competency areas:

• Patient care
• Knowledge for Practice
• Interpersonal and Cross-Cultural Communication Skills
• Professional and Personal Development
• Health Systems and Social Context of Care
• Critical Thinking, Inquiry and Problem Solving
• Teamwork and Collaboration

Extracurricular Activities

In addition to the above curriculum, extracurricular workshops will be held periodically for students in the pathway for all four years. Activities for those workshops will include:

• Discussion of current community projects being conducted by either students or faculty
• Discussion of pertinent underserved care topics
• Presentation by a physician who practices underserved care on what he/she actually does
• Reflection on what they are learning from their underserved care experiences
• Students will also be encouraged to volunteer in the community in activities such as the HOMES clinic

Additional Optional Activities

• Bi-annual group meetings with the pathway director (strongly encouraged)
• Leadership in the pre-clinical courses as a student coordinator

For more information or to express interest in participating in this pathway, please contact Dr. Anjali Aggarwal at aaggarwa@bcm.edu.

View a downloadable version.