Associated Press - June 30, 2009 6:14 PM ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The first medical students are to start next week at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus in northwest Arkansas.

The six students will be in their third year of medical school at UAMS and will perform clinical rotations in a wide range of specialties. Next academic year, another six third-year students are to study at the campus as the current group stays there for their fourth year.

UAMS is the state's only medical school, and it has more than 2,600 students and more than 700 medical residents. About 1,150 physicians care for patients through UAMS at health centers across the state.

UAMS-Northwest is operating out of the former Washington County Regional Medical Center, which the county is leasing to the state for $1 per year.

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