Service to the State

Service to the State

The Department of Medical Education is proud to be the home of many community physicians who dedicate their time and talents to teaching our students on clinical experiences throughout West Virginia. Students rotate in a variety of specialties and often in collaboration with other health professions students. Our students complete a minimum of 8 weeks of rural and community-based rotations prior to graduation. Students across the three clinical campuses complete hundreds of rotations in community hospitals and clinical sites in our state.  Students may complete rotations in a variety of specialties across the state.

Our MD degree curriculum also includes content to promote and maintain health across the life cycle, including the challenges to wellness caused by common societal problems in the state of West Virginia. Curriculum content includes, for example, the role of nutrition in promoting a healthy lifestyle, tobacco cessation, opioid abuse prevention and treatment, and other health maintenance activities to prevent and manage disease.

Our medical students also complete a minimum of 100 hours of service prior to the granting of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. Community and service-learning events include activities that contribute to the well-being of our citizens, community, and environment, such as volunteer time with patient care groups, health care organizations, hospital organizations, donating blood or bone marrow, local school education or health assessment programs, monitoring blood pressures at senior centers; volunteering at our free Health Right clinic, coaching youth sports and many more service activities.