Thanks to two partnering opportunities -- one new and one tried-and-true -- the AAFP is boosting its efforts to attract students to family medicine by pairing young people with family medicine residents who will serve as mentors.
AAFP Outreach Pairs Young Students with Family Medicine Residents
By News Staff
12/12/2005
The effort grows from an AAFP partnership with the Ventures Scholars, a national information clearinghouse and outreach program that recruits underrepresented minority and first-generation college-bound students into science and math-based studies. The Academy also is working with the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, which has recruited 30 participating residency training programs.
With the names of participating residency training programs in hand and a track record of providing information to participants of Ventures Scholars, the Academy began contacting students and their academic counselors to let them know about the role of family medicine in resolving medical problems facing individuals, families and communities. A September communication explained the role family physicians play in helping reduce health care disparities in medically underserved areas.
"We had a tremendous response," said Amy McGaha, M.D., assistant director of the AAFP Division of Medical Education. "We had 40 high school and undergraduate students write back to us wanting more information about family medicine."
Each student then received an individual response that included the name of a participating family medicine residency training program that will pair a resident mentor with the student.
Resident mentors have several options in working with their students, said McGaha. Each resident can tailor the mentoring experience to his or her own schedule, the student's calendar and their mutual interests. Some mentoring relationships rely heavily on e-mail correspondence; others include shadowing experiences.
"This program is good for the residents as well, because they get the chance to become a role model," said McGaha.
Ventures Scholars promotes access to higher education for young adults interested in math or science-based careers. The program focuses on students from underrepresented communities or families whose parents or guardians did not continue education beyond high school. Currently, 4,921 undergraduate students and 14,419 high school students from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and in U.S. military families overseas participate in Ventures Scholars.
The Academy's efforts stem from data that demonstrate students who hail from minority or underserved rural or urban communities are more likely to return to those communities to provide health care, said McGaha.
With the names of participating residency training programs in hand and a track record of providing information to participants of Ventures Scholars, the Academy began contacting students and their academic counselors to let them know about the role of family medicine in resolving medical problems facing individuals, families and communities. A September communication explained the role family physicians play in helping reduce health care disparities in medically underserved areas.
"We had a tremendous response," said Amy McGaha, M.D., assistant director of the AAFP Division of Medical Education. "We had 40 high school and undergraduate students write back to us wanting more information about family medicine."
Each student then received an individual response that included the name of a participating family medicine residency training program that will pair a resident mentor with the student.
Resident mentors have several options in working with their students, said McGaha. Each resident can tailor the mentoring experience to his or her own schedule, the student's calendar and their mutual interests. Some mentoring relationships rely heavily on e-mail correspondence; others include shadowing experiences.
"This program is good for the residents as well, because they get the chance to become a role model," said McGaha.
Ventures Scholars promotes access to higher education for young adults interested in math or science-based careers. The program focuses on students from underrepresented communities or families whose parents or guardians did not continue education beyond high school. Currently, 4,921 undergraduate students and 14,419 high school students from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and in U.S. military families overseas participate in Ventures Scholars.
The Academy's efforts stem from data that demonstrate students who hail from minority or underserved rural or urban communities are more likely to return to those communities to provide health care, said McGaha.
Resident & Student Focus