Perceived Effectiveness of a Surgical High School Outreach Program on Career Trajectory of Underserved High School Students

Abstract

Background: The United States faces a significant physician shortage, projecting a need for 52,000 more primary care doctors by 2025.¹ Underserved communities are disproportionately affected by this shortage. With underrepresented minority healthcare providers being significantly more likely to practice in underserved communities, it is essential to increase diversity in medicine.^2–4 High school outreach programs introducing teenagers from minority populations to the medical field may increase availability of healthcare in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Our goal was to determine whether participants in the Urology High School Outreach Program experienced increased interest in pursuing a career in medicine, or STEM-related fields after receiving mentorship and exposure to the medical field. Methods: 138 underserved high school students participating in a one-day Urology High School Outreach Program (HSOP) took a pre-survey prior to a physician-led lecture, and five urology-related surgical techniques workshop stations, led by medical students. The sessions culminated with a Q&A panel with the medical students, followed by the post-survey. Results: Of the 138 students that participated in the pre-survey, 110 students (79.7%) answered the post-survey. Analysis of these survey responses revealed that the Urology HSOP predominantly served a demographic consisting of Hispanic (39.1%) and Asian (32.7%) backgrounds. Question One, pertaining to the likelihood of pursuing a career in healthcare, saw a statistically significant average increase of 0.11 out of 5 (p=0.014). Question Two, pertaining to the likelihood of pursuing a career in STEM, saw the largest significant average increase of 0.34 out of 5 (p<0.00001). Question Three, pertaining to interest in developing new technology, saw a statistically significant average increase of 0.28 out of 5 (p=0.001). Conclusion: In summary, a significant increase in interest towards STEM and medicine careers emerged among Urology High School Outreach Program participants. Further investigation is warranted to ascertain whether these changes are limited to the underrepresented demographic, or extend to all program participants.