An educationally disadvantaged person is defined as an individual who has been exposed to family, school, or community experiences that have impeded a full development of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to enroll in and graduate from the UNM School of Medicine.
Individuals are considered to be from an “educationally disadvantaged” background if they come from a social, cultural, or educational environment (e.g., family, school, or community experiences) that have demonstrably and directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to enroll in and graduate from the UNM School of Medicine. Students from families living in poverty, from homes where English is not the primary language, from homes with parents with a high school education or less, and/or from homes with only a single parent are at particular risk for having a level of educational readiness below that of their peers.
Individuals are considered from an “economically disadvantaged” background if they come from a family with an annual income below a level based on low-income thresholds, according to family size established by the U.S. Census Bureau, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for use in all health professions programs.
Applicants considered for the PrEP, must meet the same minimum requirements as the Regular MD program including residency, MCAT, GPA and completion of prerequisites. Applicants must first apply to the UNM School of Medicine Regular MD program utilizing the AMCAS application to be considered for this program.
The UNM School of Medicine Admissions Committee will nominate potential PrEP candidates for the program and will be invited to interview. Currently, there is no direct application/admission to the program. If selected to interview, candidates will be notified via email after they have gone through the standard UNM School of Medicine application process.
The PrEP curriculum provides additional academic and cognitive skills to help prepare students for success in medical school. Students have the opportunity to learn from several UNM SOM faculty and receive close mentoring which is paramount to the program.
The program includes workshops and skills sessions surrounding adult learning theory, a standardized approach to test performance and self-evaluation, metacognitive skills and utilizing advanced biochemistry curriculum as an architecture for a basic science foundation.
Upon successful completion of all required components of the PrEP program, students will matriculate into UNM School of Medicine, to continue their journey toward becoming a physician and leader for the future.
For additional information, please refer to the Premedical Enrichment Program website or contact the HSC Office for Diversity at 505-272-2728 and our email HSC-Diversity@salud.unm.edu.
Spending a year learning skills that helped me not only succeed in medical but thrive, was one of the absolute best experiences and opportunities I could ever imagine. My time as a PrEP student not only helped ensure my success in becoming a physician, but framed the rest of my life and professional experiences as a physician educator, community member and a future leader.
