Students in the program participate in the Trek Curriculum identical to the main campus.  Since the class size is smaller, classroom learning is done in small group format.  Core clinical experiences occur in the LIC in a medical community that focuses on clinical excellence, quality, and interdisciplinary collaboration.  Elective experiences feature areas where CSU and Northern Colorado have expertise; there is focus on a One Health transdisciplinary approach to advance health for humans, animals, and the environment, working to solve complex problems at this intersection through research, training, outreach, and advocacy.  Students will participate with their classmates on the Anschutz campus during orientation, COMPASS weeks, and Base camp sessions, and some fourth year electives and acting internships may be completed at the Anschutz campus.

Twelve students matriculate at the Branch campus each year.  Applicants who wish to be considered for admission to the 4-year branch program in Fort Collins submit an additional essay on the Colorado secondary application describing their interest.  There is a second opportunity to submit an essay for consideration for the Branch Campus after applicants learn more about the program on interview day.  Once students are admitted to the SOM, acceptance to the FCB will be offered on a rolling basis until all slots are filled.

What do our current students say? 

“Getting to know doctors in the community, both general and in subspecialities has been such a great experience! The preceptors I have worked with have been so formative in developing me as a future physician. I can't thank them enough for taking us students on. I hope they have appreciated us as much as we appreciate them!”

“As an undifferentiated medical student, I had no idea what specialty to pursue. My preceptors at the Northern Colorado LIC helped me identify areas of interest and taught me the intricacies of medicine you can't learn from a book.  I will never forget the doctors I have worked with this year and the impact they had on my medical career.” 

“I feel very lucky to have been part of such a positive and friendly community here.”

“Sharing this experience with my peers made this the best year of medical school yet.”

“This LIC allowed me to explore more specialties that I was considering, narrow down my specialty choice, and get more experience in the specialties I was considering through the use of [free] time and with the help of administration.”

“I will never forget scrubbing in my for my first time ever while helping with a C-section.  Those are great memories that will stay with me for a long time.”  

“It was clear to me that Dr. S made my education a priority.” 

“It started with more shadowing, then I was seeing patients with him, then I was seeing some patient without him, and now I feel that I can function fairly independently.  This approach has been so helpful because I can look back and see how I have grown, and that has really helped my confidence that I am progressing as a third year student.”

“We talked about work-life balance, the advantages of different specialties, how to succeed in medical school and in residency, and so much more.  These conversations meant so much to me, and they really helped dissolve any sense of hierarchy of preceptor to student.”

“… and it is clear to me that she prioritizes my education by providing me meaningful clinical experiences along with in-depth discussions about pathophysiology and management.  She is a very effective communicator and provided feedback that I could quickly improve upon.”

“She is also great at actively including me in the OR, allowing me to scrub in and assist for the majority of her procedures."

Students will spend a few days at the Anschutz medical campus (AMC) during basecamp weeks. Students also go to AMC for portions of orientation and optionally for some recruitment events. During third and fourth year, many acting internships will be at the AMC and the option to do electives at the AMC is available as well and depends on career choice.

For full-time clinical students there is an allowance each semester to cover the additional mileage and parking during 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year. We work with the Colorado AHEC (Area Health and Education Center) to offer housing stipends and dedicated sites for our students to lodge while in Denver.