BY SHERI PORTER
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 Patient contact is a high point for high-school seniors Mayra Meija, left, and Elena Davila, center, shown here with MED-PREP preceptor Diana Ballesteros, M.D. |
Homegrown tomatoes are the best. Homegrown doctors are, too. That's why some family practice educators plant seeds of interest in their local high-school students, then nurture that interest with a good measure of mentoring.
The idea is to get kids into the medical school "pipeline" early, with the end goal of keeping those future doctors in their home states. The concept can work. Consider MED-PREP, a recruitment program sponsored by the Mexican American Physicians Association in San Antonio.
The 20-year-old program targets minority high-school students grades 9 --12. "Our goal is to try to produce minority doctors to serve in underprivileged areas," said FP Diana Ballesteros, M.D. "It's important to get these students early and to motivate them."
Jesse Tobias Martinez, sophomore biochemistry major at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, is a MED-PREP success story.
Martinez learned about MED-PREP as a high-school junior and was quickly hooked. Two years of Saturday morning classes were a "sacrifice," he said. But what won Martinez over to family medicine -- heart and soul -- was the unique opportunity, as a high-school senior, to participate in a MED-PREP preceptorship program started by Ballesteros five years ago. In the program, he observed the delivery of health care in an urban community hospital setting with his mentor, Ballesteros.
In the end, the experience cemented his resolve. "I want to be a family physician," he said. Martinez plans to practice in an urban Texas community someday because of his passion for disadvantaged and minority people.
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Consider 'shadowing' requests an honor Don't forget the power of one. Even without a big university steering the boat, you can make a difference in a student's career path. "There are a lot of us who don't participate in an organized program, but have students who come and 'shadow' us on a fairly regular basis," said family physician Dale Michels, M.D., of Lincoln, Neb. "They may be college or high-school students, but they'll come and spend several afternoons or whole days seeing what I do." Michels said he isn't always sure how students find him. But when FPs participate in high-school career days and lecture in a school's health class, it tips students and counselors off to physicians who might be willing to invest a little time in a teen. "Sometimes it's a patient, sometimes it's one of my children's friends who asks if 'dad' would let them come and shadow," says Michels. "If we believe in what we do, it shows and prompts those kinds of requests." |
"Of the MED-PREP kids handpicked for the preceptorship team, we'll probably see an 80 percent matriculation to medical school," said Ballesteros. She is confident that a soon-to-be-instituted tracking system, funded by a grant, will prove her right.
Travel north to Nebraska to see the same "homegrown" concept at work.
Jeffrey Hill, M.D., associate dean of admissions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine, Omaha, snags some of the highest-ranking high-school seniors from rural communities across the state and enrolls them in his Rural Health Opportunities Program.
"It's a program designed to attract the top rural high-school students," said Hill. "We want to keep our best and brightest here."
Hill's link to the students is their counselors. For example, in Newcastle, Neb. -- population 300 -- public school counselor Karma Thomas keeps tabs on students as they progress through high school. "If I know they're interested in the medical field, I try to get them interested in applying for RHOP," she said.
High-school senior Becky Whipple is a case in point. Whipple, who graduates in May, recently won a spot in RHOP after a nudge from Thomas.
Next fall, Whipple will attend Chadron State College, Chadron, Neb., with a full tuition scholarship from the college and guaranteed placement at UNMC College of Medicine in 2007, provided she maintains a 3.5 grade point average.
Whipple says she's always had an interest in medicine -- but RHOP will make the path to becoming a doctor a whole lot easier.
"I want to live in a rural setting in western Nebraska," said Whipple. "If you love the state and don't have plans to move away, it's a great deal."
As part of RHOP's four-year curriculum, Whipple will have the opportunity to attend classes with medical students and shadow physicians in the medical center.
The RHOP students are required to go into a primary care field, and the hope, said Hill, is that they'll return to rural Nebraska to practice.
"A lot of these students are filling our family medicine accelerated program and rural training track program," said Hill, "and those programs place up to 12 students a year into the state.
"If this program went away, it would be a disaster. These students are critical to our rural programs, especially in light of the decreasing applicant pool in family medicine."
Here's info on other mentoring programs
FP Report recently posted a question to the Academy's Minority Issues E-mail Discussion List, asking for information on mentoring programs across the country. Family physicians and others were excited to share information about the following mentoring programs:
Florida State University College of Medicine,
Tallahassee --; program targeting minority and rural students
"It's a
unique and comprehensive program from the standpoint that intervention occurs
early. We have a full-time coordinator that works in the precollege and college
complement. We start at the middle school level and follow all the way through
the undergraduate years. We're preparing students to be competitive applicants
for medical school."
Thesla Berne-Anderson, health professions adviser
and director of pre-college and college programs
http://www.med.fsu.edu/outreach.asp
Venture Scholars Program
"The Venture
Scholars Program provides an educational pathway for high-achieving,
historically underrepresented students interested in pursuing math- or
science-based careers by linking this targeted population with a national
consortium of close to 200 undergraduate colleges and universities,
graduate/professional institutions, and associations and organizations.
Currently, more than 11,000 high-school students and 1,400 college students are
enrolled as Venture Scholars across the United States."
Jessica Arkin,
director, Venture Scholars Program, Ventures in Education Inc., New York,
N.Y.
http://www.venturescholar.org
Health Careers Pathways Program K-12, University of
Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan.
"The mission of HCPP is to
increase the number of underrepresented students in the primary health care
professions. The program targets economically disadvantaged students from all
racial backgrounds. Eighty students in grades seven through nine spend 30
Saturdays participating in applied learning science, math and technology labs
at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Forty-five sophomore and junior
students spend six weeks at the University of Kansas Lawrence campus and enjoy
a variety of intensive internships, including two weeks with multicultural
physicians. These experiences have resulted in higher PSAT scores and a larger
number of students choosing advanced math and science courses in high
school."
Marcia Pomeroy, associate director, Health Careers Pathways
Program
http://www2.kumc.edu/oced
Medical College of Wisconsin --; Apprenticeship in
Medicine
"I am involved in a mentor program run by the Medical College
of Wisconsin that recruits underrepresented minorities for a six-week summer
program called Apprenticeship in Medicine."
Kevin Izard, M.D., Milwaukee,
Wis.
This description of AIM comes from the Medical College of
Wisconsin Web site:
"To pursue a career in medicine or biomedical research,
academic preparation must begin as soon as possible at the high-school level.
The college maintains active programs for minority students at many levels. The
Apprenticeship in Medicine (AIM) and Research Opportunity for Academic
Development in Science (ROADS) programs give minority high-school students an
opportunity to explore careers in medicine and biomedical research during the
summer months."
http://www.mcw.edu/acad/mcsa/programs.htm
University of Missouri-Kansas City --; Summer
Scholars Program
"Have you looked at the University of Missouri Kansas
City School of Medicine Summer Scholars Program? This program has recruited
many high-school students in the Kansas City area, including
myself!"
Linda Siy, M.D., Fort Worth, Texas
This information is
from the UMKC Web site:
"The University of Missouri-Kansas City instituted
its Summer Scholars Program in 1980 to identify minority and disadvantaged
high-school juniors and seniors in the Kansas City metropolitan area who have
the scholastic ability and interest to pursue a career in the health
sciences."
http://research.med.umkc.edu/prospective/default.html
To reach writer Sheri Porter, e-mail sporter@aafp.org.
FP Report is published by the
AAFP News Department.
Copyright © 2003 by
American Academy of Family Physicians.