Impact of an Academic Pediatrics Enrichment Experience for Fourth Year Medical Students from Minorities Underrepresented in Medicine

Abstract

Physician workforce diversity is important for quality medical education, culturally competent care, and research to address the needs of the increasingly diverse population of US children. Previous studies comparing race and ethnicity of US children to those of their pediatricians identified significant differences. Representation of minorities underrepresented in medicine (URM) is particularly poor in academic pediatrics. Mentoring, professional exposure, social supports, and financial support enhance the success of URM medical students. Senior URM medical students (Hispanic/ Latino, Black/ African-American, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) were invited to apply for a visiting elective. Eleven of the 38 applicants were selected. A stipend to participants helped to offset their travel/housing costs. The experience consisted of a clinical rotation, resident and faculty mentors, networking, and career development sessions in an academic setting. A program evaluation was distributed to all students via RedCap, a secure, web-based survey application designed to support data capture for research studies, hosted at our institution. Retrospective and qualitative questions aimed to understand the impact of the program on career. All participants completed the survey. Pre- and post-program participation data were as follows: 63 vs 90% of students were interested in academic pediatrics as a career choice, 45 vs 81% were interested in residency at a large program, and 90 vs 100% were interested in training at a free-standing children’s hospital. Participants provided in-depth descriptions of the positive impact of professional exposure and supportive mentors. Our findings suggest that an enrichment visiting rotation at an academic pediatric program impacts the career trajectories of URM medical students through increasing interest in academic pediatrics and their ability to envision themselves as residents in a similar program. Further outcomes will be evaluated including residency match data and 5-year career follow up.