Identifying the Needs of a Diverse Cohort and Engagement Opportunities That Foster a Sense of Belonging at a Hispanic-Serving Doctoral Program

Abstract

ABSTRACT This mixed method study assessed the perceptions of health professional graduate students on a sense of belonging and evaluated the engagement experiences valued most in a graduate program across three domains of belonging, academics and diversity, equity and inclusion. Hispanic students valued building professional relationships with faculty and mentors more than non-Hispanic students while non-Hispanic students valued opportunities to discuss race relations outside the classroom. Belonging at the graduate level in health professional programs is distinct from undergraduate programs because of new expectations of developing into entry level clinicians. This study showed that Hispanic students significantly valued building connections with mentors, faculty and staff, identifying a need of continued supportive mentoring relationships within this population at the graduate level. Implications of these findings across the available literature are discussed.