Primary Care Accelerated Track Program
Mercer’s Primary Care Accelerated Track (ACT) Program was one of the first two programs of its kind to be created in the United States. It’s designed to address Georgia’s critical shortage of primary care physicians who practice in medically underserved rural areas. The program allows students interested in family medicine, general internal medicine or pediatrics to complete their coursework in an accelerated three-year program with less tuition debt.
The ACT Program builds upon the strengths of the Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) problem-based curriculum with clinical experiences and community medicine activities built into the preclinical years and reinforced through continued longitudinal experiences at the ACT site, clerkships, sub-internships, and electives.
This innovative curriculum compresses the educational objectives of the four-year MD program into 130 weeks of instructional time that culminates in a medical degree and prepares students for early entry into a traditional, primary care residency.
Eligibility
Students must be enrolled in year one of the M.D. program at MUSM, be in good academic standing at the time of application, and have a strong desire to practice primary care in a rural area. Mercer’s M.D. program only accepted Georgia residents. Mercer’s Nathan Deal Scholars are not eligible to apply for the PC-ACT program.
Scholarship Amount
The ACT scholarship covers tuition for the second and third years of medical school.
Service Commitment
Upon completion of residency, the ACT scholar is required to reside and practice full-time in an approved medically underserved rural Georgia county for three continuous years. Fellowships are not permitted. The practice must also accept Medicaid.
Program Tracks & Locations
The ACT Program currently offers three tracks:
- Family Medicine is offered at the Savannah, Macon and Columbus campuses.
- Internal Medicine is offered at the Savannah and Macon campuses.
- Pediatrics is offered at the Savannah and Macon campuses.
Application Process
The application cycle is open from January through early February of each year. The residency of choice will receive the applications and conduct interviews. MUSM will notify students of acceptance in April.
Meet the 2023 Selected ACT Scholars