Rural Osteopathic Medical Education of Texas (ROME)

The TCOM’s Office of Rural Medical Education offers educational opportunities for students who have an interest in practicing medicine in a rural environment. The interested student chooses one of 3 programs - each with a different level of engagement and intensity.

1. ROME Rural Scholars Program
2. ROME Rural Primary Care Continuity Program
3. ROME Rural Elective Program

The ROME Rural Scholars Program is an innovative educational program designed to prepare students for life and practice in a rural community. This rural medicine curriculum includes academic activities and clinical experiences beginning before matriculation and continuing throughout all four years of predoctoral medical education. Students accepted into the ROME Rural Scholars Program complete additional course work during Years 1 and 2 that emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge and skills for a career in rural medicine (30+ hours per semester). Throughout the ROME Rural Scholars Program, students work directly with faculty preceptors from rural communities across the state of Texas. This program provides students with the real world experience of living and working in rural Texas communities. Under the supervision of community-based faculty physicians, students experience the practice of osteopathic medicine in a rural clinical setting while developing their clinical competence. They learn about the role a physician plays in the community and the unique lifestyle experience of working in this setting. To provide the students with a continuity experience, a portion of their curriculum is completed in the same community throughout all four years of their medical education. This includes a Lifestyle Practicum in Year 1, a Pre-Clinical Preceptorship in Year 2, a twelve (12) week ambulatory clerkship in Year 3, and a primary care partnership/geriatrics rotation in Year 4. Service-learning in the form of community activities and involvement is integrated throughout this program. Students also complete a community health research project. This project targets a specific need of the assigned community and provides the student experience with public health responsiveness.

The ROME Rural Primary Care Continuity Program provides an opportunity for students enrolled in the general TCOM curriculum (no additional coursework) to participate in rural clinical experiences with a specific rural physician over four years. This can be completed in the primary care disciplines of Family Medicine, Pediatrics or Internal Medicine. Emphasis on community involvement and rural health systems is an important component of this program.

The ROME Rural Elective Program provides students in the general TCOM curriculum an opportunity to participate in a targeted rural rotation. This unique experience offers a brief snapshot of the specific challenges and opportunities within a rural health care setting.