About ACE-PC and Rural ACE-PCP

Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC)

In partnership with Kaiser Permanente Northern California, and with support from the American Medical Association’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative, the UC Davis School of Medicine offers an innovative three-year MD pathway for students committed to primary care careers, the Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care (ACE-PC) program. 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 MD in 3 years equipped with the knowledge and skills to be positioned to match into a PC residency and enter primary care practice one year earlier than traditional students.

The development of ACE-PC has been guided by input from multi-disciplinary faculty representing undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education and employer perspectives. The program recruited its first class in 2014. Prospective students are evaluated using the same holistic review and Multiple Mini-Interview as traditional applicants. Once admitted to the traditional class at UC Davis, ACE-PC applicants complete a panel interview to assess fit, commitment to PC and academic readiness. The program is limited to 6-8 students of an entering class of 120. Each year there are 300-400 applicants. Historically over 60% of ACE-PC students are from communities underrepresented in medicine (UIM) and 80% self-identify as disadvantaged on their AMCAS application.

Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care and Psychiatry (RACE-PCP)

In partnership with Shasta, Nevada, and Humboldt counties, the UC Davis School of Medicine is launching the Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care and Psychiatry (Rural ACE PCP) initiative. This innovative 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. With support from a grant by the County Medical Services Program (CMSP), Rural ACE-PCP will recruit students from underserved County Medical Services Program (CMSP) regions, offering a three-year MD track that reduces both the time and cost of medical education—making it more accessible to low-income and first-generation students from these counties

Rural ACE PCP strengthens local healthcare systems by expanding clinical training sites, enhancing outreach to high school and college students, and building a strong Community of Practice among community partners. The initiative will train 14 new medical students from CMSP counties over three years, with the goal of retaining them in their home communities to serve as future healthcare providers. By embedding students in rural clinics and hospitals, the program fosters long-term relationships and culturally responsive care, ultimately improving health outcomes.

This collaborative effort is a transformative step toward health equity, workforce development, and sustainable rural healthcare.

Instead of the traditional 4 years of medical school, Rural ACE PCP students complete their MD in 3 years equipped with the knowledge and skills to be positioned to match into a Primary Care or Psychiatry residency and enter practice one year earlier than traditional students.