Recruiting community college students into health professions programs
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The social mission of health professional schools is to train a diverse group of providers to care for all populations. Community college students encounter more challenges than traditional students in accessing the resources and support, including mentorship, needed to prepare for graduate health professions programs. This project aimed to identify community college students' challenges. METHODS: We expanded an existing mentorship program, initially designed for medical and community college students, to include other specialties such as nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs. RESULTS: Mentees indicated that barriers to participating in extracurricular activities included work, opportunities for shadowing a healthcare provider, lack of time, financial barriers, and living far away from volunteer opportunities. CONCLUSION: By addressing resource challenges and establishing intentional pathways for community college students through effective mentorship, we may enhance diversity in healthcare and alleviate the shortage of primary care providers.
Source: Education for Health
Authors: Annslee Lowe, Amy Clithero-Eridon, Cameron Crandall, Marlene Ballejos
Institution: University of New Mexico
Language: English
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4408715227