443 - Diversifying the face of healthcare: Evaluating a healthcare exposure program for teens from underrepresented minority backgrounds

Poster Number: 443
Publication Number: 443.219

Maria Rivera, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Selina Sepulveda, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Sharon Alvarado, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Jose G. Munoz, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Selina Varma Thomas, Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine, Wheaton, IL, United States

Background: An active effort to recruit Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations into health professions is essential to directly confront racism in healthcare and improve health equity. Improved exposure and professional development opportunities at a young age may contribute to increasing Black and Hispanic/Latinx representation in the healthcare workforce.

Objective: To determine the effect of a six-week immersive healthcare workforce education internship on participants’ knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and skills related to pursuing healthcare careers and professional development.

Design/Methods: We recruited 48 students from Black and Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds (17-19 years) to participate in a multidisciplinary internship developed by the authors and which included clinical shadowing, guest speakers, a research curriculum, and skills-based workshops (eg. Resume development, CPR). We evaluated the program using pre-/post assessment utilizing Likert scales and free response questions to assess changes in students’ knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and skills. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to determine statistical significance.

Results: We enrolled 48 students, with the final analysis limited to 45. The majority (n=33) identified as female, 14 as male, and 1 as non-binary. Eighteen participants identified as Black, 25 as Hispanic/Latinx, and 5 as multiracial. Overall, 67% reported an increase in knowledge of healthcare careers (p < 0.01), 52% reported an increase in knowledge regarding the education required to pursue different healthcare careers (p < 0.01), 62% reported feeling more supported and well-resourced to pursue a healthcare career (p < 0.01), 47% reported an increase in their ability to identify their top three professional skills (p < 0.01), and 44% reported an increased ability to develop a resume (p < 0.01). There was no significant change in reported self-efficacy, (i.e. perceived capacity to achieve a healthcare career; p=0.13). At the end of the program, all participants agreed that the program was a valuable experience, and 98% would recommend this program to others.

Conclusion(s): An educational program successfully exposed minority youth to a wide range of healthcare careers. Youth expressed a better understanding of potential career pathways and developed tangible skills towards pursuing healthcare careers. Long term evaluations are required to determine the effectiveness of such programs on improving diversity in healthcare.