Rural Critical Need Accelerated Track Program - Psychiatry

Mercer’s new Rural Critical Need Accelerated Track (RCN-ACT) Program addresses Georgia’s critical shortage of psychiatrists in rural areas. The program allows students interested in psychiatry and addiction medicine to complete their coursework in an accelerated three-year program with less tuition debt. 

The RCN-ACT program builds upon the strengths of Mercer University School of Medicine’s (MUSM) problem-based curriculum with clinical experiences and community medicine activities, starting with an innovative 6-week experience where students spend the summer following their first academic year working closely with St. Francis Hospital’s psychiatry residency program.

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 psychiatry residency.

Eligibility

Students must be enrolled in year one of the MD program at MUSM, be in good academic standing at the time of application, and have a strong desire to practice psychiatry in a rural area of Georgia. MeMercer’sD program only accepted Georgia residents.

Scholarship Amount

The ACT scholarship covers tuition for the second and third years of medical school.

Service Commitment

Upon completion of residency, the RCN-ACT scholar must 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 Locations

The RCN ACT Program is currently only offered on our Columbus campus.

Application Process

The application cycle opens in January. Once the scholarship committee reviews all applications and qualified applicants have been interviewed, MUSM will notify students of acceptance in April.