Medical EducationORIGINAL ARTICLE

Mini-medical school programs decrease perceived barriers of pursuing medical careers among underrepresented minority high school students

Abraham Abdulrazzak, OMS III; Andrew Chandler, OMS IV; Rosemary Lu, OMS IV; Olivia Mobarakai, OMS IV; Bryan Lebron, OMS IV; Nicholas Ingram, DO; Avni Sheth, DO; Neel Patel, DO; Shreel Parikh, DO; Rita Kumar, OMS III; Jessica Bedi, OMS III; Ndeye Kane Diaw, OMS III; Adal Abonamah, OMS III; Christine Lomiguen, MD; and Stacey L. Fanning, PhD
Notes and Affiliations
Notes and Affiliations

Received: April 20, 2021

Accepted: July 30, 2021

Published: October 19, 2021

  • Abraham Abdulrazzak, OMS III, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Andrew Chandler, OMS IV, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Rosemary Lu, OMS IV, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Olivia Mobarakai, OMS IV, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Bryan Lebron, OMS IV, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Nicholas Ingram, DO, 

    LAC+USC Medical Center- Los Angeles, California, CA, USA

  • Avni Sheth, DO, 

    Atlantic Health System, Morristown Medical Center- Morristown, New Jersey, NJ, USA

  • Neel Patel, DO, 

    SUNY Upstate Medical University- Syracuse, New York, NY, USA

  • Shreel Parikh, DO, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Rita Kumar, OMS III, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Jessica Bedi, OMS III, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Ndeye Kane Diaw, OMS III, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Adal Abonamah, OMS III, 

    Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

  • Christine Lomiguen, MD, 

    Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, USA

  • Stacey L. Fanning, PhD, 

    Department of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY, USA

J Osteopath Med; 121(12): 883-890
Abstract

Context: The percent of underrepresented minority (URM) students who apply to medical school has changed minimally in the past 40 years. Due to the lack of URM applicants, the consequent matriculation of URMs is grossly disproportionate from their percent representation of the US population. Increasing diversity among medical students and physicians has previously been identified as essential to decreasing healthcare disparities among US minorities.

Objectives: The objective of our study was to recognize the barriers of applying to medical school among URMs in high school.

Methods: To identify and assess the prevalence of barriers, surveys were distributed to participants of Med-Achieve, a mini-medical school program of diverse high school students in New York City during the 2019–2020 academic year.

Results: Among students who will be first in their immediate family to attend college, 80.0% perceived a barrier to pursuing medical school. Specified barriers indicated include the cost of medical school (77%), a lack of guidance/role models (53.9%), and the predicted inability to do well in medical school classes (53.9%). At the end of the program, a statistically significant reduction in the barrier of lack of guidance/role models was seen.

Conclusions: This study highlights the benefit of mini-medical school programs, especially programs with a mentoring component, to decrease the perceived barriers of applying to medical school among URMs. It also suggests the potential role of similar programs to increase diversity in medicine and to decrease healthcare disparities among minorities in the United States.

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