PURCH Track Curriculum: How We're Different

PURCH Refocuses Your Medical School Training

Each course in the PURCH track fulfills the learning objectives established in the UMass Chan Medical School VISTA curriculum. 

PURCH Principles Guide How We Teach, Lead, Learn, and Connect

In developing the PURCH Track, we reached out to our community partners and leaders to learn what kind of physician they wanted. Together, we defined these core qualities, which we call the PURCH Principles.

1. Excellent Diagnostician 
We are committed to the practice of clinical reasoning and diagnosis, seeking to understand our patients' stories and lived experiences in the context of our medical knowledge.

2. Team-Oriented 
We believe the strength of a team comes from bringing together a wide range of perspectives, skills, backgrounds, and experiences, working collectively to achieve the highest impact and best outcomes.

3. Empathetic 
We are deeply curious about the experiences and emotions of others, listening without judgment and trying to understand.

4. Self-Reflective 
We are deeply curious about our own perspectives and remain committed to continuous growth—embracing the possibility of being wrong and welcoming feedback from ourselves and others.

5. Leaders Who Can Be Led 
We lead with humility and recognize our privilege among the various groups, committees, teams, and communities we serve, following expertise when it is not ours and actively contributing as team members.

Immersive Learning Experiences Get You Engaged With the Community

You will meet, speak with, and learn from community members inside and outside of the classroom.

Caring For People Who Are Incarcerated

Students visit the Hampden County Correctional Facility to interview inmates who have volunteered to share their family and social histories.

You will explore how individual and community factors impact the lives of patients and their families—with a particular emphasis on exposure to violence, substance use, and mental health.

Community Engagement Tour

Students explore a variety of Springfield neighborhoods and community health centers and meet with Baystate Community Faculty at several service organizations.

You will learn about community needs, available resources, and ways to advocate for your new community.

Greenfield Rural Immersion

Students travel north to Franklin County (part of the Baystate service area)—Massachusetts's poorest rural and most rural county.

You will meet with physicians and community workers to learn about rural medicine as well as the alcohol use and opiate use disorders that are prevalent in the area.

Food Justice Fair

Students get involved in critical service-learning right from the start, working with the Martin Luther King Jr Family Services emergency food pantry.

You will organize and conduct a Food Justice Fair twice a year, bringing together other health profession students and social service agencies from the region to provide health education, resources, and linkages to services needed for healthy living.

PURCH Day On The Hill

Students and their community partners travel to the Massachusetts State House in Boston to meet with legislators.

You will learn about legislative advocacy and how to advocate for the priorities of our community.

PURCH Educational Purpose & Vision

Our Purpose

The PURCH track provides an innovative, community engaged medical education curriculum that prepares medical students to become thoughtful, effective leaders equipped with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to lead with empathy, deliver high-quality care, and advocate for the needs of communities impacted by complex health challenges.

We do this by:

• Integrating the PURCH Principles into all facets of our medical school training.
• Immersing students in the communities we serve through the deep involvement of the Baystate Community Faculty and other community partners in all aspects of their medical education.
• Inviting students into a community of practice of healthcare providers and community partners who model how to put PURCH principles into action in clinical care, community engagement/advocacy, and professional activities/career growth.
• Delivering a solutions-focused curriculum that provides opportunities to partner with community members to address real issues impacting people and health outcomes in the urban and rural communities in Western Massachusetts.

Our Vision

PURCH graduates embody the PURCH principles wherever they practice——they are excellent diagnosticians who are empathetic, team-oriented, self-reflective, and leaders that can be led.

They use the scholarly approach in patient care and community advocacy to enhance the healthcare system and transform the health of the patients and communities they serve.

The Foundations of Leadership Program

The Foundations of Leadership Program is an optional professional development program offered to all PURCH students. The program consists of six sessions that can be completed over the course of four years. In-person sessions are offered for first and second year medical students on select PURCH Wednesdays in Springfield from 12-1pm. Zoom sessions are offered to PURCH MS 3 and MS 4 students.