Dental Hygiene
Dental Hygiene students participating in the RHIP are in the final year of a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene. The professional component of the curriculum is six semesters in length with five semesters of clinical practice combined with course work. It is during the final two semesters, in the field experience component of the curriculum that students can participate in the Rural Health Interdisciplinary Program.
 

Masters in Public Health
Public Health students can participate in the RHIP after their first semester and at various stages during their 42-unit curriculum. Participation in the RHIP may, with approval of the student's advisor and field placement director, meet the criteria for the practicum experience. MPH offers a 1-2 credit hour course (MPH 560 sec 015) for participation in the Rural Health Interdisciplinary Program.

Medical Laboratory Science
Medical Laboratory Science students are in their final year and beginning their clinical training. In this 4-year medical lab testing degree program, the student follows a prescribed curriculum that requires 2½ years of pre-professional academic study and 1½ years in the Medical Laboratory Science Program. Participation in the RHIP includes spending 8 weeks at a rural site, which are part of an 18-week clinical requirement for graduation.

Medicine
Medical students participating in the RHIP are in their first year at The University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The medical students are given the opportunity to participate at UNM and in the community during the Practical Immersion Experience (PIE) when students participate in the tutorials with the support of their preceptors. The medical students are preparing for careers as physicians. Physicians, either primary care or specialists, should be able to integrate biological, behavioral and population skills to address health problems through prioritizing, intervention (diagnostic and therapeutic), and rehabilitative methods.

Nursing
Students from many different nursing programs including Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Midwife, BSN and RN-BSN are encouraged to participate in the RHIP . NP/NM students are first year graduate students, who are already registered nurses (RNs) with a Bachelor's degree in nursing. RN-BSN participants are registered nurses, who have a diploma or associate degree and who are studying to complete a baccalaureate degree in nursing. A community health internship is available for BSN and RN-BSN students in select communities. Academic/course credit options for the interdisciplinary experience are available and can be negotiated for NP/NM, BSN and RN-BSN students.

Nutrition
Nutrition students are from UNM Main Campus. These are Bachelor (Senior) or Masters level students.

Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a profession that therapeutically uses meaningful activities to increase independent functioning, enhance development, and prevent disabilities. Occupational Therapy students are eligible to participate in the RHIP during their last semester of on-campus coursework. Their involvement in the RHIP spans their final semester on campus and the first 8 weeks of their clinical training in rural areas of New Mexico.

Pharmacy
Pharmacy student participants are in their final year of a 6-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program and are performing clinical clerkships.  Each student is required to complete 9 clerkships, each of which is 4 weeks in duration and 40 hours per week. Every student must complete at least one clerkship outside of Albuquerque.

Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a health care profession whose primary purpose is the promotion of optimal human performance through the application of sound scientific principles to the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of acute and chronic movement dysfunction. Physical therapy program participants are at the end of the second year of a 3-year master's degree program. Students participate during the first of 3 eight-week clinical internships. 

Physician Assistant Program
The Physician Assistant Program educates PAs who will serve as primary care providers in rural and underserved areas of New Mexico. The PA program supports and encourages PA student participation in the RHIP on a voluntary basis during the junior year of a two-year program.

Respiratory Therapy (Central New Mexico Community College)
Respiratory therapy students participating in the RHIP are second year students in the Respiratory Therapy Program at Albuquerque T-VI. Participation in the RHIP meets the independent study requirement of the Respiratory Therapy program curriculum during the spring semester of the second year. After the Respiratory Therapy students have graduated, they may be employed in the respiratory care field while participating in the rural experience.

Social Work (New Mexico State University, Albuquerque Campus)
Students in their field practicum experience have the opportunity to integrate theory into practice. Social Work students contribute greatly to the RHIP by sharing these experiences with their group. They develop their knowledge and skills specific to working with individuals, families, groups, and communities. The experience emphasizes identifying and meeting the unique needs of people within the multicultural environment of New Mexico and the Southwest.

Speech Pathology
Speech Pathology students are in the second and final year of a two-year graduate program. They are performing their clinical internships and will graduate with a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. The speech pathology curriculum requires completion of a minimum of 75 hours of coursework under the American Speech-Hearing Association regulations in addition to coursework fulfilling departmental regulations. Participation in the RHIP meets partial requirements toward a minimum of 350 hours of clinical practicum in schools, hospitals, private practice and rehabilitative settings.