The ETSU Quillen College of Medicine will host its Rural High School
Medical Camp and "Doc for a Day" programs this June.

East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine is now accepting applications for two popular summer programs that provide high school students from rural and underserved areas a chance to explore a career in medicine and enjoy hands-on educational experiences. 

Sponsored by the Tennessee Center for Workforce Development, Ballad Health and ETSU, the week-long Rural High School Medical Camp introduces rising high school seniors and recent graduates to disciplines of medicine, provides hands-on learning experiences and offers admissions guidance. 

The Rural High School Medical Camp will be held June 9-13, and applications are open until April 25. It is open to students from rural high schools in Tennessee and out-of-state counties that border Tennessee. Students accepted to the program will be informed no later than May 1. 

In addition to experiential learning, this free camp will provide tours of ETSU’s main campus, as well as the Quillen College of Medicine, and lectures. Housing and meals will be provided at no additional cost. 

“Doc for a Day” is a free one-day program for rising high school juniors to introduce them to ETSU and the Quillen College of Medicine, and include special discussions from admissions counselors, tours of the anatomy lab and simulation center and the ability to meet the associate dean and the director for Rural and Community Programs, Dr. Thomas Kincer. It will be held on June 6.

“Serving our rural communities is at the heart of our mission at the Quillen College of Medicine,” said Kincer. “These opportunities provide students a chance to explore a career path that may have seemed out of reach for them and are a way for us as a college to give back to our rural and underserved communities.” 

Both programs are part of the Extending Quillen to the Underserved through an Integrated Program (EQUIP) initiative at the college. EQUIP seeks to identify, mentor and educate students to become primary care physicians who are committed to serving in rural and underserved areas.  

For more information, or to apply, visit https://tinyurl.com/2dguovph.


East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

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