Where Are They Now? A Survey of Health Humanities Program Graduates

Area of Science:

• Health Humanities
• Medical Education
• Higher Education Studies

Background:

• Increasing number of health humanities programs at baccalaureate and graduate levels.
• Limited understanding of alumni career trajectories and educational impact.
• Need for data to support continued growth and development of health humanities curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the perceived value of health humanities education for graduates' careers and personal lives.
• To determine if alumni-attributed knowledge, skills, and values align with established health humanities educational themes.
• To inform the development and support of health humanities programs.

Main Methods:

• Survey distributed to 228 North American alumni of health humanities programs (baccalaureate, graduate, health professions).
• Collected data on post-graduation education, employment, and perceptions of educational value.
• Employed quantitative and qualitative analyses of alumni self-responses.

Main Results:

• Nearly two-thirds of alumni work in healthcare settings.
• Graduates reported that their health humanities degree enhanced their applications for further education and job relevance.
• Alumni-identified educational gains largely corresponded with the five core themes of health humanities education (Interdisciplinarity, Internal Inquiry, External Examination, Praxis, Transformative Education).

Conclusions:

• Health humanities programs provide valuable skills and knowledge for graduates' personal and professional development.
• Alumni experiences validate the core themes identified by health humanities educators.
• The findings support the continued expansion and integration of health humanities education.