Seeking Equity; Pathway Programs in Liaison Committee on Medical Education Medical Schools for Minoritized Students

There is a paucity of data on pathway programs that seek to increase underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students in medicine. Therefore, this investigation aimed to describe the status and associations of pathway programs at US medical schools.

From May to July 2021, the authors obtained information by (1) accessing pathway programs listed on the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website, (2) reviewing websites of US medical schools, (3) calling medical schools to obtain further information. The data retrieved from the medical school websites was compiled into a 27-item checklist based on the maximum number of different items that was extracted from any of the medical school websites. The data included program characteristics, curricula, activities, and outcomes. Each program was assessed on the number of categories of which information was available. Statistical analyses determined significant associations of URiM-focused pathways and other factors.

The authors identified 658 pathway programs: 153 (23%) listed on AAMC website and 505 (77%) identified from medical school websites. Only 88 (13%) programs listed outcomes and 143 (22%) had adequate website information. URiM-focused programs (48%) were independently associated with AAMC website listing (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.62, P  =  .001), no fees requirement (aOR  =  3.33, P  =  .001), oversight by diversity departments (aOR  =  2.05, P  =  .012), Medical College Admission Test preparations (aOR  =  2.70, P  =  .001), research opportunities (aOR  =  1.51, P  =  .022), and mentoring (aOR  =  2.58., P < .001). Programs targeting K1-12 were less likely to offer mentoring, shadowing or research or include URiM students. Programs with outcomes were more likely to be college programs with longer durations and offer research, while programs listed on AAMC website provided more resources.

Although pathway programs are available for URiM students, accessibility issues due to inadequate websites information and early exposure are barriers. Most programs have insufficient data on their website, including a lack of outcome data which is detrimental in today's virtual climate. Medical schools should update their websites to ensure that students requiring support to matriculate into medical school have adequate and relevant information to make informed decisions regarding participation.