Increasing dissatisfaction with traditional medical school curricula in the United States and the increasing desire to expose medical students early to physicians at work in the realistic community setting led to our development of an 8-week summer program at the University of Louisville, School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine. The background, development and results of this mentoring program, Adopt-A-Student, are described. Survey responses of participating students and mentors, from 1991 to 1993, indicate the value of the program early in medical education.