Health professions career awareness program for seventh- and eighth-grade African-American students: a pilot study

This exploratory, cross-sectional study was designed to gauge the interest and health career choices of African-American students before high school and to determine their level of satisfaction with a health career awareness program. Over a three-year period, 133 seventh-grade students (47%) and eighth-grade students (53%) enrolled in a Southside Chicago Catholic school were recruited; 98% were African-American. The students participated in a career awareness program, which consisted of lectures, video presentation, interactive discussion, and college campus visits. Each student completed a questionnaire that sought demographic information, health career choice, career preference, and level of satisfaction with the awareness program implemented. For career choice, 39% of the students selected "doctor" and dentist, 28% selected occupational therapy, 15% selected social work, 11% selected nursing, and 7% selected health information administration. The majority of the students (51%) were "very satisfied" and 49% were "satisfied" with the program that was implemented. We found no discernable difference in the health career interest and career choice of the study participants over the three-year period. Our findings reconfirmed a continuing limited level of awareness about allied health professions among African-American students before high school. Follow-up studies should expand the scope and contents of the awareness program to include other health professions, field trips, and mentoring by health care providers or health professional students.