Submission ID 78269
| Code | OE-2-4 |
|---|---|
| At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: | |
| Category | Medical Education |
| Type | Oral |
| Will the presenter be a: | Student |
| Title | Mini Med School: Inspiring the Physicians of Tomorrow |
| Background/Purpose | Medical schools play a role in social accountability through graduating physicians who reflect the diversity of the patient populations they serve. Mini Med Schools (MMS) are intended to motivate youth from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue medicine. This study investigated the extent to which one MMS contributes to encouraging students from underrepresented groups to consider pursuing medical careers. |
| Methods | Asclepius Medical Camp for Youth (Asclepius), an annual week-long summer camp, introduces high school students to medicine through lectures, case-based learning, and procedural skills sessions. Participants completed pre- and post-camp self-report surveys measuring: knowledge of the medical profession, perceived barriers, interest, and confidence in being accepted to medical school. Pairwise t-tests were run for each question (pre vs post) within each year with an alpha of .05. |
| Results | Data from 2016 and 2018-2022 were analyzed. Knowledge about both the profession of medicine and the steps to get into medical school improved significantly from pre- to post-camp in all years. Confidence about getting into medical school showed significant increase in 2016, 2020, and 2022. Interest in pursuing medicine was high for both timepoints in all years (only 2016 showed significant increase). |
| Discussion | Asclepius MMS may contribute to encouraging underrepresented youth to pursue careers in medicine by increasing their knowledge of this career and increasing their confidence and interest in pursuing this. Further data is being collected through current medical student surveys. |
| Keyword 1 | diversity |
| Keyword 2 | undergraduate medical education |
| Keyword 3 | admissions |
| Abstract content most relevant to: (check all that apply) | Undergraduate Medical Education |
| Abstract Track - First Choice | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion |
| Authors | Amanda Krysler Sicheng Lee Kimberly Papp Shelley Ross |
