About ACE-PC and Rural ACE-PCP
ACE-PC: Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care
In a bold effort to more quickly produce primary care doctors for Californians who urgently need them, this unique partnership between UC Davis and Kaiser Permanente puts a select group of students through medical school in just three years instead of four.
The development of the Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) pathway has been guided by input from multi-disciplinary faculty representing undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and employer perspectives. Supported by the American Medical Association's ChangeMedEd Initiative, the program recruited its first class in 2014.
Rather than the traditional seven-year pathway to primary care practice (four years of medical school followed by three years of residency training), ACE-PC students complete their medical degree in three years equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to match into a Primary Care residency and enter practice one year earlier than traditional students.
Prospective students are evaluated using the same holistic review and multiple mini-interview processes as traditional applicants. Once admitted to the traditional class at UC Davis, ACE-PC applicants complete a panel interview to assess fit, commitment to primary care, and academic readiness. The program receives 300-400 applicants per year, but admits only 6-8 students. Historically, over 60% of ACE-PC students are from communities underrepresented in medicine and 80% self-identify as disadvantaged.
Rural ACE-PCP: Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care & Psychiatry
In 2025, UC Davis School of Medicine partnered with the County Medical Services Program (CMSP) to launch the Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care and Psychiatry (Rural ACE-PCP) initiative. This forward-thinking program addresses the critical shortage of primary care physicians and psychiatrists in rural Northern California by creating a fast-tracked, community-rooted medical education pathway.
Instead of the traditional four-year medical degree program, Rural ACE-PCP students complete their medical degree through a three-year pathway that prepares them to match into Primary Care or Psychiatry residency and enter practice one year earlier.
This collaborative effort is a transformative step toward health equity, workforce development, and sustainable rural healthcare. The initiative strengthens rural healthcare systems by expanding clinical training sites, enhancing outreach to high school and college students, and building a strong Community of Practice among Northern California partners. The program will train 14 new medical students from CMSP counties over three years, with the aim of retaining them in their home communities as future healthcare providers. By embedding students in rural clinics and hospitals, the program fosters long-term relationships and culturally responsive care that ultimately improves health outcomes.
Prospective students with ties to Shasta, Nevada, or Humboldt regions are evaluated using the same holistic review process as traditional applicants. Once admitted to the traditional UC Davis School of Medicine track, Rural ACE-PCP applicants complete a panel interview to assess fit, commitment to primary care or psychiatry, and academic readiness.