An innovative programme for premedical students

The worldwide shortage of doctors and the low representation of minorities in medicine outline the need for enrichment programmes that expose a diverse population of youth to health careers. This report describes the innovative Summer Premed Program run at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, from the perspective of our diverse group of participating high school students.

Our unique and highly interactive programme focused on providing youths with a glimpse of life in medical school. Students participated in interactive workshops such as a cadaver lab, robotics, patient interviews and bedside ultrasound. To determine the success of the programme, a feedback survey was distributed to all students at the end of the programme.

During the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014, 418 high-school students participated in the programme and 19.4 per cent were under-represented in medicine. Of the 418 students, 371 (89%) completed evaluations. The average rating of all the workshops ranged from 3.26 to 4.68 (out of maximum of 5) with cadaver lab, suturing workshops and patient interviews each having the highest rating of approximately 4.7. Additionally, resulting from this programme, students gave an average rating of 4.42 for comfort in interviewing patients, and 4.55 for professional development.

The results reveal that the Summer Premed Program at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, was successful towards exposing a diverse range of youths to medical school while motivating them to pursue careers in medicine. The follow-up of participants' career choices is needed to assess the long-term effectiveness of the programme. [There is a] need for enrichment programmes that expose a diverse population of youth to health careers.