Promoting diversity in the medical school pipeline: a national overview.

The barriers facing those who promote diversity in medical education are growing higher, but the need for diversity is greater than ever. One of the best, most direct ways to attain diversity within medical school populations is simply to produce more applicants who are qualified, so that greater numbers of students from groups underrepresented in medicine can be selected. To maintain and increase the flow of students, medical schools must exert pressure at all points along the educational pipeline and into medical practice. Such pressure can be applied through programs that stimulate and sustain interest in medicine by providing meaningful experiences that prepare students for medical studies and careers. As guest editors of Academic Medicine's April 1999 theme issue on educational programs that strengthen the pipeline to medical school, the authors collected a special set of papers reflecting the variety of such programs offered by academic medical institutions. The articles were solicited by a national call for papers, and eventually 26 papers were selected for inclusion. This set is not a comprehensive list of diversity programs, or even of the types of programs available. Rather, it is a description of replicable programs that the guest editors hope may be useful to their colleagues in medical education, encourage development of new diversity initiatives, or help to build support for ongoing programs.

Producing physicians for south Texas.

South Texas, one of the fastest growing regions in the country, remains among the most medically underserved, in part, because few students from South Texas enter medical school. To address this issue and to increase the diversity of the matriculant pool, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and The University of Texas-Pan American (UT-PA) established in 1994 the Premedical Honors College (PHC), a rigorous undergraduate program at UT-PA for students from South Texas high schools. Students who complete all PHC requirements and BCM prerequisites are accepted into BCM upon graduation from UT-PA. Those in good standing receive counseling, enrichment experiences, and tuition and fee waivers from UT-PA and BCM. The program is increasing the number of students from South Texas universities matriculating into medical school, and is expanding the involvement of local physicians in undergraduate education, heightening visibility for partner institutions, and becoming an effective, replicable bachelor of science/doctor of medicine model.

Results of a summer academy to increase minority student access to allied health and other health professions.

To promote interest among incoming ninth grade students at two specialized high schools for health professions, and to help these students prepare for the upcoming high school experience and for pursuit of education and careers in allied health and other health professions, a three-week Summer Health Professions Academy was established. Students, 82.8% of whom were African American or Hispanic, participated in relevant didactic and experiential activities, with emphasis on allied health. Science, problem solving, communications, health career counseling, and allied health career exploration activities are described. Results of instruments administered both prior to and following the Academy indicated that students improved their abilities to analyze and solve science problems, and increased their knowledge of the nine primarily allied health professions emphasized during the program. Students also demonstrated heightened awareness of the factors that could impede their pursuit of allied health professions and other health careers.

A follow-up study of allied health educational and career interests of graduates of a high school for health professions.

In response to reports and trends suggesting a national shortage of health professionals, a survey was administered to graduates from Houston's High School for Health Professions, in part to measure their interests in pursuing higher education and careers in the allied health fields. Project administrators were concerned that only 82 of 1,028 survey respondents indicating a career choice (8.0%) expressed interests in allied health. The career choices, educational pursuits, perceptions regarding likelihood of career attainment, and factors influencing career attainment of these 82 respondents were examined. Ultimately, it is believed that many students are unaware of allied health professions, and that others simply do not perceive allied health disciplines as attractive career options. Results of this study are consistent with other reports suggesting that new strategies must be employed nationally to promote greater participation in allied health, especially by groups previously underrepresented in these professions.