Factors and barriers that influence the matriculation of underrepresented students in medicine

Tello, Celso; Goode, Christina

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141045

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 121 publications

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“…Barriers unique to HEGs can often contribute to feelings of inadequacy and deeply impact student’s sense of belonging, and therefore retention, in STEM. This is exacerbated by negative social influence and systemic oppression (Estrada et al, 2018; Tello & Goode, 2023), and can culminate into feelings of not belonging in STEM. Meanwhile, studies have shown that underserved students that develop a scientific identity (i.e.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering STEM Students: A University-wide Mentorship Program Fostering Retention and Belonging

Ravishankar,

Spencer-Drakes,

Fernandes

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In the face of a challenging climate that is resistant to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, there is a critical need for a support structure for retaining students, particularly those from historically excluded groups (HEGs), in STEM. The Biology Undergraduate and Masters Mentorship Program (BUMMP) embodies this commitment to fostering scientific identity, efficacy, and sense of belonging for 1st generation and historically underserved undergraduate and masters students at UC San Diego. The mission of BUMMP is to cultivate a sense of belonging, instill confidence, and nurture a strong scientific identity amongst all of its participants. At its core, the three pillars of BUMMP are: 1) mentorship, 2) professional development, and 3) research. Quality mentorship is provided where students receive personal guidance from faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and industry leaders in navigating their career pathways. Complementing mentorship, BUMMP provides paid research opportunities and prioritizes professional development by offering workshops designed to enhance students professional skills. These three pillars form the backbone of BUMMP, empowering students from all backgrounds and ensuring their retention and persistence in STEM. So far, we've served over 1,350 mentees, collaborated with 809 mentors, and had over 180 mentees actively engaged in BUMMP-sponsored research activities. Overall, BUMMPs expansive efforts have made a tremendous impact at UC San Diego and will continue to foster a community of future leaders who will be prepared to make meaningful contributions to the scientific community and beyond.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering STEM Students: A University-wide Mentorship Program Fostering Retention and Belonging

Ravishankar,

Spencer-Drakes,

Fernandes

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this context, we used two old terms, LEP for patients [ 34 ] and ESL for the higher education applicants [ 14 ]. Second, multilevel intersectionality, i.e., the sociodemographic, sociocultural, and schooling characteristics may significantly limit the number of resources available to ESL students [ 8 , 14 ]. Furthermore, English learners are subject to the effects of local, state and federal policies shaping their academic experiences [ 14 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Language fluency is an advantage point for native English-speaking applicants. PA program admission processes and committees could also be influenced by implicit or explicit biases against candidates with differing linguistic or cultural backgrounds [ 8 ] which necessitates implicit bias training for admissions teams as well as diversifying the admissions teams. Holistic admissions are aimed at optimizing equity in the admissions process and have been described in the medical and PA education literature [ 19 , 37–40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emphasis on barriers to matriculation of ESL applicants should be balanced with promoting protective factors [ 8 ]. Despite specific challenges of linguistic capability of ESL students and differences in cultural expectations of the role of learners and teachers in postgraduate studies, this is also an opportunity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, there is an ongoing inequity between the diversity of healthcare providers and population trends in the United States [ 8 ]. The U.S. foreign-born population reached a record 44.8 million in 2018, and immigrants in 2020 accounted for 13.7% of the U.S. population [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-native English-speaking applicants and the likelihood of physician assistant program matriculation

Najmabadi,

Valentin,

Rolls

et al. 2024

Medical Education Online

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Purpose Effective communication is critical in patient care. Multilingual medical providers, including Physician Assistants (PAs) can contribute to improved health care among patients with limited English proficiency; however, this is contingent upon matriculating multilingual providers. In this study, the association between prospective applicants’ self-reported English as second language (ESL) status and their likelihood of matriculation into a PA program was investigated. Methods Participants included applicants to five admission cycles of the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistant from 2012 to 2020. Logistic regression was utilized to investigate association between applicant ESL status and odds of program matriculation in both bivariate and multivariable regression models. Models were adjusted for citizenship status, undergraduate grade point average, gender, age, race/ethnicity, number of programs applied to, and patient care hours. Results In unadjusted and adjusted models, ESL status was associated with a significantly lower odds of matriculation to a PA program across all study years. In adjusted multivariable models, associations were strongest for 2014–2015 where ESL status was associated with a 35% lower odds of matriculation (odds ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.56, 0.76) when controlling for demographics, citizenship status, patient care experience, and academic achievement. In sensitivity analyses restricting to (a) those with TOEFL scores ≥ 100, and (b) restricting to those ESL applicants without TOEFL scores, we did not observe important changes in our results. Conclusions Results indicated that non-native English-speaking applicants have lower odds of PA program matriculation. Decrements in matriculation odds were large magnitude, minimally impacted by adjustment for confounders and persistent across the years. These findings suggest that PA program admission processes may disadvantage non-native English-speaking applicants. While there are potential explanations for the observed findings, they are cause for concern. Matriculating and training PAs who have language concordance with underserved populations are important means of improving patient outcomes.

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Empowering STEM students: A university‐wide mentorship program fostering retention and belonging

Ravishankar,

Spencer‐Drakes,

Fernandes

et al. 2024

Journal Cellular Physiology

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In the face of a challenging climate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) higher education that is resistant to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts aimed to increase and retain students from historically excluded groups (HEGs), there is a critical need for a support structure to ensure students from HEGs continue to be recruited retained. The Biology Undergraduate and Master's Mentorship Program (BUMMP) embodies this commitment to fostering scientific identity, efficacy, and a sense of belonging for first‐generation and historically underserved undergraduate and master's students at UC San Diego. The mission of BUMMP is to cultivate a sense of belonging, instill confidence, and nurture a strong scientific identity amongst all its participants. At its core, the three pillars of BUMMP are (1) mentorship, (2) professional development, and (3) research. Quality mentorship is provided where students receive personal guidance from faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and industry leaders in navigating their career pathways. Complementing mentorship, BUMMP provides paid research opportunities and prioritizes professional development by offering workshops designed to enhance students' professional skills. These three pillars form the backbone of BUMMP, empowering students from all backgrounds and ensuring their retention and persistence in STEM. So far, we've served over 1350 mentees, collaborated with 809 mentors, and had over 180 mentees actively engaged in BUMMP‐sponsored research activities. The primary focus of this paper is to provide a programmatic guideline for the three pillars of BUMMP: mentorship, professional development, and research. This will offer a blueprint for other institutions to establish similar mentorship programs. Additionally, the paper highlights the impact of the BUMMP program and surveyed mentees who have participated in the mentorship and research component of BUMMP. We showed that mentorship and research experience enhance students' sense of belonging, science identity, and science efficacy, which are key predictors of retention and persistence in pursuing a STEM career. Overall, BUMMP's expansive efforts have made a tremendous impact at UC San Diego and will continue to foster a community of future leaders who will be prepared to make meaningful contributions to the scientific community and beyond.

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Factors and barriers that influence the matriculation of underrepresented students in medicine

Cited by 8 publications

References 121 publications

Empowering STEM Students: A University-wide Mentorship Program Fostering Retention and Belonging

Empowering STEM Students: A University-wide Mentorship Program Fostering Retention and Belonging

Non-native English-speaking applicants and the likelihood of physician assistant program matriculation

Empowering STEM students: A university‐wide mentorship program fostering retention and belonging

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