Logo for University of Iowa Health Care This logo represents the University of Iowa Health Care

Requirements and Criteria

Students must complete all mandatory activities and at least two elective experiences to graduate with Service Distinction.

Mandatory Activities

  1. Clinical Experience with an Underserved, Marginalized or Rural Population: Choose one of the following for this requirement:
    • MECO or Proteus summer experience
    • Core Year Family Medicine rotation at a rural/underserved site
    • Elective clinical rotation at an approved underserved site
    • Other clinical rotation as approved by SDT Council
  2. Clinical Volunteer Experience: A minimum of 48 hours of volunteer experiences. 24 hours must be in a free/mobile clinic setting.
  3. Elective Experiences: Complete two electives (must meet college elective requirements). Options include:
    1. Global Program Elective (course, off-campus, domestic or international experience)
    2. Community Health Outreach Elective (CHO 1 + CHO 2)
    3. Additional long-term (40+ hours) volunteer experiences approved by SDT Council
    4. Other electives as approved by SDT Council
    5. Other Underserved Clinical Activity as approved by SDT Council
  4. Capstone Project: A project that includes a scholarly proposal, paper, and presentation.
  5. Mentor Meetings: Students meet with their mentor at least once per semester.
  6. Yearly Reflections: Students submit brief narritive summaries of their service-related year in review and goals for the year ahead.

Elective Experiences

  • Global Health underserved clinical experience
  • Other Global Health approved program (domestic or international)
  • Elective Courses/workshops (e.g. Community Health Outreach Elective, Global Programs Electives)
  • Additional long-term volunteer experiences approved by SDT Council
  • Other electives as approved by SDT Council
  • Other Underserved Clinical Activity (by approval by approval of SDT Council)

Application Information

To apply to the Service Distinction Track, please select the 'Enroll' link in the lefthand menu. Upon submission, the SDT Director will be notified and will contact you to set up an individual meeting.

All students are encouraged to contact the SDT Director (Samantha-Ziemba@uiowa.edu) for more information before applying.

Applications are due by the end of the M1 academic year.

Curriculum