Top medical students showing leadership and commitment in pursuing careers in primary care will have the chance to earn their medical degrees in an accelerated three years, through the University of California, Davis.

The university's school of medicine, in partnership with healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente, in June was awarded a $1 million grant from the American Medical Association to establish an innovative education program that lasts three years and includes training and education during summer, according to a university news release.

Upon entering the Davis Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care curriculum, or ACE-PC, students are immediately immersed in clinical experiences at a Kaiser Permanente medical facility, gaining first-hand exposure to what the health system describes as its "patient-centered medical home model of clinical practice."

Students are introduced to contemporary health management concepts including patient-focused communication, population health, chronic disease management, quality improvement, team-based care and preventive health -- all with an underlying focus on providing care to diverse and underserved patients.

"Students will be selected for their outstanding academic records as well as their superb communication and teamwork abilities as assessed during the novel multiple mini-interview process UC Davis employs in selecting medical school students," Mark Henderson, UC Davis associate dean for admissions and co-principal investigator for the grant, said in the release. "These skills are critical for primary care practice and are often underemphasized in the traditional medical school admissions process."

Upon admission to the program, which kicks off this year, ACE-PC students will be simultaneously interviewed for acceptance into a Kaiser Permanente or a UC Davis primary care residency program.

Then, after their three years of medical school, those students will transition to their residencies without participating in the traditional process whereby fresh graduates are matched to the hospitals where they will complete their residency terms..

"ACE-PC is an intensive, integrated, current approach to education for a subset of highly motivated students who know what medical specialty they want to pursue," said Tonya Fancher, UC Davis associate professor of internal medicine and the principal investigator for the grant. "The need for generalists is greater today than ever before and is expected to grow as health-care reform is implemented. We applaud the AMA for being a catalyst in addressing this critical need."

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States is expected to suffer a shortage of at least 45,000 primary care physicians by the end of the decade.