Purpose, Privilege, and Pathways: Advancing Socioeconomic Diversity in a Pathway Program to Medical School

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Equity
• Physician Workforce Diversity

Background:

• Physician workforce diversity, particularly socioeconomic status (SES), is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Individuals from lower SES backgrounds are underrepresented in medicine.
• Pathway programs aim to increase access to healthcare careers for underrepresented groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the socioeconomic status (SES) of participants in the Doctors of Tomorrow (DoT) pathway program.
• To determine if DoT effectively recruits students from resource-limited backgrounds and those underrepresented in medicine.
• To address concerns about potential enrollment of higher SES students due to program entrance requirements.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, web-based survey was administered to 122 parents of DoT students.
• Socioeconomic markers were assessed and compared with Detroit census data (American Community Survey).
• DoT parent data was compared with national medical school applicant and matriculant data (AAMC).

Main Results:

• The DoT program enrolled students with household incomes comparable to the general Detroit population.
• DoT parents had higher rates of college education and homeownership than Detroit's general population.
• Compared to national medical school applicants, DoT parents were less likely to hold a college degree and had a different racial distribution.

Conclusions:

• The DoT program successfully recruits students without prior healthcare mentorship access.
• DoT participants represent a distinct group compared to national medical school applicants, indicating success in reaching underrepresented demographics.
• Enhancing socioeconomic diversity in medical school pathway programs is vital for diversifying the physician workforce and improving care for marginalized patients.