BATON ROUGE, La. — Baton Rouge General (BRG) has launched its first rotation of pre-medical students in its Future Physicians Pathway Program (FPPP). The program is designed to help future doctors get the knowledge, hands-on experience, and connections they need to thrive in medical school and beyond.
“Our hope is to make promising local students even more competitive for medical school, while also fostering their connection to our healthcare community,” said Dr. Keith Kellum, Chief Medical Officer at BRG. “When students train and grow here, they’re more likely to stay and practice here. That continuity is essential to building a strong, sustainable physician workforce for Louisiana.”
Throughout the program -- designed to be one part clinical exposure and one part professional development -- the pre-med students get real-world experience in areas of the hospital like the operating rooms, physician mentoring and shadowing, and even research opportunities.
For even more exposure to the ins and outs of working as a doctor, students in the FPPP have the chance to join regular didactics sessions with BRG’s robust residency programs. Didactics are structured learning sessions where residents step away from patient care to focus on classroom-style education, including lectures, case discussions, workshops, and interactive activities covering everything from the latest research and guidelines to how to handle tough cases.
FPPP students can also opt in to morning reports in the hospital, a regular gathering of attending physicians and resident physicians to discuss a case from the night prior, providing insight and discussion on a patient’s treatment plan.
After completing the 8-week program, students have the opportunity to work part-time in the operating room to continue their clinical exposure and skills development. Ongoing check-ins with mentors will continue as well as networking opportunities and exposure on all things medical school.
Applications for the next rotation open in the spring. To qualify, students must be entering their third year of an undergraduate program having completed at least 60 credits with a 3.5 of higher GPA and be eligible to take the MCAT within the following year.
Learn more at brgeneral.org.
About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.
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