UAMS, University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Sign Agreement to Open Healthcare Education Pathways
| FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain (UA Rich Mountain) have signed a formal Memorandum of Agreement that gives UA Rich Mountain students a clearer, faster path into UAMS health professions and nursing programs.
The agreement covers six UAMS programs in the College of Health Professions and the College of Nursing. Qualifying UA Rich Mountain students will receive a guaranteed interview, priority application review, or both.
“Many of the healthcare professionals who serve rural Arkansas got their start at a community college close to home,” said Tina Maddox, Ph.D., RD, associate provost at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus, who led development of the agreement. “This partnership helps UA Rich Mountain students see the many possibilities for careers in healthcare and gives them a clearer understanding of the education, preparation, and pathways available to help them reach their goals at UAMS.”
The participating programs are the Bachelor of Science degrees in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences, Radiologic Imaging Sciences, and Respiratory Care, all in the College of Health Professions, and the RN to Master of Nursing Science program in the College of Nursing.
Eligible students who meet each program’s GPA and prerequisite requirements will receive enhanced admissions consideration. In the five College of Health Professions programs, qualifying applicants are guaranteed an interview and priority application review. In the RN to Master of Nursing Science program, students can receive priority application review before they take their NCLEX, but prior to starting classes, they must pass and be licensed in Arkansas as an RN. Priority review means a student’s application goes directly to the program’s admissions committee and skips the preliminary prescreening used for the general applicant pool.
“UA Rich Mountain is committed to preparing students for transformative careers that keep them serving our communities,” said UA Rich Mountain Chancellor Phillip Wilson, Ed.D. “This agreement with UAMS gives our students a defined next step. A student who starts here at UA Rich Mountain can see a clear route to a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a high-demand healthcare field.”
UA Rich Mountain students who want to use the agreement must declare their intent to apply to a participating UAMS program by that program’s admissions deadline. They must also get certification from a designated UA Rich Mountain faculty or staff member confirming they meet the eligibility criteria. Students accepted under the agreement may enroll in the next academic year or admissions cycle.
“We’re grateful to Chancellor Wilson and the UA Rich Mountain team for this partnership,” said Ryan Cork, MSHA, vice chancellor of the UAMS Northwest Region. “Agreements like this one expand access to health professions education and help build the healthcare workforce that communities across Arkansas depend on.”
The agreement lasts three years and renews automatically each year after that.
About University of Arkansas Rich Mountain
UA Rich Mountain continues its tradition as a comprehensive community college, providing a broad range of educational programs and learning opportunities throughout its three-county service area. The College serves the residents of Polk, Montgomery, and Scott counties. Its main campus is located in Mena, with permanent instructional sites in Mount Ida and Waldron. For more than 50 years, UA Rich Mountain has played a vital role in the educational, economic, and community development of the region. Its mission of providing transformative education to all learners continues to guide the College’s programs, services, and community engagement efforts. Visit uarm.edu.
About UAMS
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospitals in Little Rock and Bryant; an orthopaedic hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise, including affiliated hospitals in Pine Bluff, Helena-West Helena, Mena, and Warren. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,813 students and 1,030 medical residents and fellows, and two dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.