Impact of a first-year medical student patient navigation initiative on healthcare access and students' skills

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Background: Medical schools with complex patient populations, characterized by linguistic diversity and uncertain immigration status, face challenges in imparting essential skills in patient care, particularly in understanding healthcare barriers, building rapport, and fostering empathy. A South Florida medical school with a predominantly non-English-speaking and undocumented patient population piloted a Patient Navigation (PN) program within the first-year curriculum to address these challenges. We present the student feedback from the program’s first two years to guide medical schools in simultaneously caring for this unique patient population, with the aim of enhancing medical education. Methods: This program diverged from traditional Patient Navigation approaches by leveraging specialized hospital-associated translation services and collaborating with the Health System's Financial Assistance program. We performed a crosssectional study on student feedback surveys to identify program features significantly associated with a satisfying PN experience, and to provide insights to optimize and refine the program for future implementations. Results: The program engaged 245 out of 306 first-year medical students in PN for 118 patients. Successful contact was established with 55% of patients and 70% achieved their navigation objectives. Satisfaction metrics revealed that students given patients were nearly five times more satisfied than their counterparts. This positively impacts both student experience and patient outcomes, showcasing the program's effectiveness in bridging healthcare disparities. Discussion: The PN program proved successful in linking low-risk patients to follow-up care, offering medical students first-hand exposure to the challenges of care for primarily non-English-speaking and undocumented populations. The initiative aimed to enhance healthcare access for marginalized patients while providing medical students with an immersive understanding of patient-centric care beyond conventional curricular offerings. Key lessons learned include improving communication channels between students and patients, and optimizing community resources for streamlined patient support. Future iterations will prioritize these lessons, emphasizing cultural competence and patient advocacy to enhance both student education and patient care outcomes.