Lincoln Scholars Program Curriculum
LSP students receive interdisciplinary, hands-on, clinical experience throughout all 4 years of their medical training. We believe by training our future physicians in rural communities and collaborating with a variety of healthcare professionals, we can improve access to quality, patient-centered healthcare in rural Southern Illinois.
Curriculum
The first year focuses on basic sciences and employs problem-based learning in small, collaborative groups alongside first-year physician assistant students. Instruction includes self-directed learning, lectures, and simulated patient interactions. Students explore key topics such as anatomy, patient education, and more. Additionally, a core component of the program is the longitudinal mentorship, where students begin working in clinics with their mentors on a weekly basis—an experience that continues through year three.
To begin second year, students have the opportunity to participate in a 6 week Clinical and Research Experience (CARE) program designed to provide opportunities for research or personalized projects. Students subsequently begin core clerkship rotations across Southern Illinois, gaining hands-on experience in Emergency Medicine, Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery. Throughout the year, students continue their mentorship, reinforcing their clinical skills and rural healthcare knowledge.
The third year emphasizes independent study, supplemented by focused lectures, to prepare students for Step 1 and Step 2 exams, both of which are completed by early spring. In the latter half of the year, students design a 15-week Personalized Education Plan (PEP), allowing them to explore specialties of interest or deepen their knowledge in specific areas.
The final year aligns with the standard medical school curriculum, including 32 weeks of electives and a required Medical Humanities clerkship, ensuring students are well-prepared for their medical careers.
Lincoln Scholars track
Location:
All training based in Carbondale and the surrounding rural communities
Schedule:
Begins in May and continues year-round. Optional summer CARES project offered after MS1 in lieu of a summer break.
Curriculum:
Utilizes problem-based learning with resource sessions to support self-directed study. Immersive, interdisciplinary training combined with Physician Assistant (PA) students during MS1. Annual professional development retreats, with an emphasis on service, leadership, wellness, and self-help skill building throughout the curriculum.
Program organization:
Unit curriculum driven by Organ Systems with continuity streamers in Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Histology, Pharmacology and Behavioral Science
Mentors and Preceptors:
Paired with a Mentor in year one with weekly continuity throughout all four years of training
Clinical experience:
Standard clinical settings in and around the Carbondale area. Continued emphasis on interdisciplinary patient care teams in the Interdisciplinary Family Care Clinic (IFCC).
Class size:
8 students admitted annually
Standard track
Location:
MS1 in Carbondale, then Springfield for MS2 - MS4
Schedule:
Begins in August with a summer break before second year and third year. Optional summer CARES project offered after MS1 in lieu of a summer break.
Curriculum:
Utilizes problem-based learning and resource sessions. Standard curriculum with single discipline training. Leadership, wellness and self-help skill development emphasized throughout the curriculum.
Program organization:
Block schedule of Pharmacology and Pathology taught separately once you matriculate to Springfield
Mentors and Preceptors:
Mentor training during first year then paired with a Preceptor in Springfield for MS2 and MS3
Clinical experience:
Standard clinical settings in Springfield Clinics and Hospitals
Class size:
72 students admitted annually
Is it right for me?
- Our students have a vested interest in practicing medicine in rural, underserved areas of Southern Illinois.
- Our students prioritize quality, patient-centered, clinical care.
- Our students are collaborative, participating in an interdisciplinary curriculum, and learning alongside other future healthcare professionals.
- Our students’ interests include, but are not limited to, Primary Care specialties (Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, and OBGYN)
- Our students are eager to start working in a clinical setting and will start seeing patients their first year of medical school.
Ready to apply? Click the link below.