William M. Wilson Underserved Areas Scholarship

William M. Wilson was the co-founder of the Utah Physician Assistant Program and of the Utah Department of Family and Community Medicine retiring as a tenured associate professor. He was well known and highly respected by his peers in Physician Assistant Education. Bill was a stalwart proponent of working with the rural and underserved population. We are forever grateful for his generosity and friendship in the Physician Assistant Program.

Selection Criteria

Physician assistant student applicants must meet the following requirements:

  1. The applicant must be a Physician Assistant Student enrolled in the Utah Physician Assistant Studies Program, be in their clinical year, and be in good standing.
  2. The applicant should be able to demonstrate past commitment to working with underserved populations.
  3. The applicant must be able to demonstrate financial need.
  4. Preference will be given to applicants who plan to practice primary care medicine (family practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology) in an underserved setting after graduation.

Program’s Commitment

Scholarship recipients will be awarded funds that directly go towards offsetting tuition cost. This will affect how much financial aid you will be allotted by the financial aid office. All Scholarships reduce financial aid eligibility by the amount of the scholarship.

The amount of awards available will be determined by the number of qualified applicants and the balance in the interest bearing account the scholarship is held in. The funds will be made available to use for Summer Semester of the clinical year.

Recipient’s Commitment

It is expected the applicant, upon graduation from UPAP, will demonstrate a commitment to working with the underserved population in some capacity. This could entail full-time, part-time, volunteering on a regular basis for at least one year, or implementing a community service project to benefit your local community.

Award
Award amount is dependent on account balance and number of qualified applicants
Deadline
01/15/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Chronologically describe your previous rural/underserved patient care experience and how long, including information on rural populations, minority populations, underinsured and uninsured patients, etc. with whom you have worked. (Use additional pages if necessary.)
  2. List and describe (chronologically) all personal experience you have had living and/or working in rural or inner-city areas. (Describe in terms of what, where, and at what age. Example: Raised on a farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota, 1957-1976, age 0-18.)
  3. Please list all your rural/underserved rotations you have completed or have scheduled:
  4. Existing Service Commitments
    • Additional Service Commitments
    • Are you in default of this or any other service repayment obligation?
    • Complete Address:
    • Do you have existing service repayment obligations?
    • If yes, name the program:
    • Telephone Number
    • Terms of Obligation:
  5. Please describe your preference of practice location, after you graduate, in terms of: type of practice (solo, group, etc.), maximum distance from a hospital, size of community, preferred area or communities, types of services available in community, climate, geographic features, cultural-ethnic populations, etc.
  6. List the most important factors you will consider when selecting a permanent practice location:
  7. Outstanding Student Loan Information. The following student loan information must be provided for all education loans, which you are obligated to repay. Just duplicate this section for each loan.
    • Academic Period Covered by this Loan
    • Complete Lender Address & Telephone:
    • Current balance of loan
    • Date of this Balance
    • Loan Identification Number
    • Name of Lender:
    • Outstanding Loan #2 - Provide all details for additional loans (as needed) or answer N/A
    • Outstanding Loan #3 - Provide all details for additional loans (as needed) or answer N/A
    • Outstanding Loan #4 - Provide all details for additional loans (as needed) or answer N/A
    • Outstanding Loan #5 - Provide all details for additional loans (as needed) or answer N/A
    • Outstanding Loan #6 - Provide all details for additional loans (as needed) or answer N/A
  8. Describe the experiences and goals you possess that would make you the best candidate to receive assistance under the Underserved Areas Scholarship Program. (a 1-2 page typed essay).
  9. Show 3 more