Propelling Adolescents Toward Careers in Healthcare (PATCH): A Medical Student Led Pipeline Program for High School Students Underrepresented in Medicine

Authors

Maggie Brownrigg, Boston University School of MedicineFollow
Sagar Patel MD, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Charlotte CampusFollow
Kyle Roedersheimer MD, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Charlotte CampusFollow
Melissa Wooten MD, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Charlotte CampusFollow
Radhika Ghodasara MD, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Charlotte CampusFollow
Banks Kooken MD, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Charlotte CampusFollow
Iris Cheng MD, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Charlotte CampusFollow

Keywords

pipeline program; populations underrepresented in medicine; diverse workforce; medical student leadership

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Despite the growing diversity of the United States population, individuals from many racial and ethnic minority groups and low-income families continue to be underrepresented in the health professions. A diverse healthcare workforce would improve cultural competency and create a system better suited to address the vast health disparities in many disadvantaged communities, yet the current educational pipeline needs to expand opportunities to provide students traditionally underrepresented in medicine (UIM) a path to become a part of the healthcare field. The Propelling Adolescents Towards Careers in Healthcare (PATCH) program was founded to address this gap in the current health professions pipeline to ensure that UIM and economically disadvantaged students in Charlotte, North Carolina have an equal opportunity to pursue a career in healthcare. The PATCH program brings high schoolers from local low-income schools to the hospital every Saturday for 8 weeks, where medical student leaders plan and execute hands-on clinical training activities, simulation experiences, shadowing, one-on-one mentorship, and public health research projects for the scholars. 123 PATCH scholars have completed the program since its inception in 2015, and the overwhelming majority of those surveyed after the program indicated that they planned to attend health professional school and later return to their communities to improve the opportunities and resources there to promote good health. Through the program, the scholars are exposed to medical professions in a way that will not only benefit their career trajectories but ultimately increase the diversity of the healthcare workforce and reduce health disparities of future populations.

Recommended Citation

Brownrigg, Maggie; Patel, Sagar MD; Roedersheimer, Kyle MD; Wooten, Melissa MD; Ghodasara, Radhika MD; Kooken, Banks MD; and Cheng, Iris MD (2020) "Propelling Adolescents Toward Careers in Healthcare (PATCH): A Medical Student Led Pipeline Program for High School Students Underrepresented in Medicine," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 13: Iss. 4, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol13/iss4/1