Underrepresented in Medicine Student Perspectives on the Selection of a Summer Research Program

Abstract

ObjectivesMany summer research programs (SRPs) for URiM students exist; however, only a few have been established by otolaryngology programs, who have a unique opportunity to provide a diverse experience. We sought to assess URiM undergraduate student perspectives on the most valuable program features that influence decision‐making and how this might be useful to otolaryngology programs seeking to establish pathway programs.Materials and MethodsAn externally facing REDCap survey composed of 37 questions in scaled, multiple‐choice, and open‐ended form. The survey was delivered to applicants via email over two time periods in April 2021 and February 2022. All survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and categorized according to demographic information, program features, and advertising mechanisms.ResultsSeventy‐one percent of our applicants self‐identified as URiM. Over 60% experienced financial hardship, and 31% experienced educational hardship. The single most important feature when selecting a summer research program (SRP) was access to mentorship followed by clinical shadowing and research opportunities. When program features were aggregated into groups, institutional features were the most important, followed closely by funding features. Finally, students prefer to learn about SRPs through their university, followed by social media, despite many students learning about our program through other means.ConclusionsPaid programs with effective advertising, research, mentoring, and clinical shadowing are highly valued by URiM undergraduate students. Understanding student perspectives is critical for programs aiming to address the “leaky pipeline” while being deliberate in their support of underrepresented students.Level of Evidence5 Laryngoscope, 2023

Running a successful STEMM summer program: A week‐by‐week guide

“…While graduate students can be effectively utilized to alleviate these time burdens from principal investigators (PIs), without the proper training, graduate students may leave their undergraduate trainees without adequate mentoring (Butler et al, 2008). A previous survey of students in otolaryngology programs shows that mentoring is one of the most significant deciding factors for URM students in choosing summer research programs (Timothee et al, 2024). Beyond mentoring, past studies at the Virtual Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy have demonstrated that while students may initially have a strong interest in STEMM, summer programs can still be essential interventions to increase the sense of belonging (Oliver et al, 2021).…”