The goal of the study was to determine how the pre-medical preparation at Stanford is affecting student interest levels in pursuing medicine as a career, with a specific focus on the perspectives of women and Underrepresented Minority (URM) students. The study also examines the ways in which women and URM students perceive the effectiveness strategies that either encouraged, maintained, or discouraged their interest in pursuing medicine to identify the specific types of resources, forms of support, and experiences that facilitate successful premedical preparation. During the 2017-2018 Winter quarter, rated their interest in pursuing premedical studies on a Likert Scale of 1 to 4 at the time they completed the survey. They were asked to recall and rate their interest levels in pursuing premedical studies at the beginning of their freshman year when they matriculated to Stanford University. The difference between ratings were taken to be the change in interest levels. Students’ sense of belongingness in their premedical studies was assessed as well. Responses to open-ended questions regarding the factors that lead to change of interest were identified and categorized with emergent coding. The responses of males to females and URM to non-URM students were compared. The principal positive influencers on student interest include physician mentorship and peer and familial support. Negative influencers include excessive peer competition, and perceived lack of preparedness in premed classes. Three areas of improvement were identified: 1) Alternative Introductory Science Sequences, 2) Expansion of Dedicated Pre-Med Advising, 3) Expansion of Social Support Groups and Mentoring. Longitudinal studies need to be conducted to obtain a more accurate view of the degree to which students’ interest levels changed over the course of their undergraduate career and to determine whether the key factors identified at Stanford apply to a larger, more diverse sample. Data from this study suggest that more specific attention and support must be allocated to URM students aspiring to enter a career in medicine.
The goal of the study was to determine how the pre-medical preparation at Stanford is affecting student interest levels in pursuing medicine as a career, with a specific focus on the perspectives of women and Underrepresented Minority (URM) students. The study also examines the ways in which women and URM students perceive the effectiveness strategies that either encouraged, maintained, or discouraged their interest in pursuing medicine to identify the specific types of resources, forms of support, and experiences that facilitate successful premedical preparation. During the 2017-2018 Winter quarter, rated their interest in pursuing premedical studies on a Likert Scale of 1 to 4 at the time they completed the survey. They were asked to recall and rate their interest levels in pursuing premedical studies at the beginning of their freshman year when they matriculated to Stanford University. The difference between ratings were taken to be the change in interest levels. Students’ sense of belongingness in their premedical studies was assessed as well. Responses to open-ended questions regarding the factors that lead to change of interest were identified and categorized with emergent coding. The responses of males to females and URM to non-URM students were compared. The principal positive influencers on student interest include physician mentorship and peer and familial support. Negative influencers include excessive peer competition, and perceived lack of preparedness in premed classes. Three areas of improvement were identified: 1) Alternative Introductory Science Sequences, 2) Expansion of Dedicated Pre-Med Advising, 3) Expansion of Social Support Groups and Mentoring. Longitudinal studies need to be conducted to obtain a more accurate view of the degree to which students’ interest levels changed over the course of their undergraduate career and to determine whether the key factors identified at Stanford apply to a larger, more diverse sample. Data from this study suggest that more specific attention and support must be allocated to URM students aspiring to enter a career in medicine.