![]() ![]() “To have more diversity among physicians, you really do have to start early,” Rittenhouse said. One-on-one advising, mentoring, tutoring and test preparation could make the difference between a student deciding to become a doctor or taking an offramp to a different career. Rittenhouse noted that the long-term support the program provides could help students feel a sense of belonging and successfully complete their studies. ![]() “Many are first-generation, and so oftentimes, they’re juggling family or outside jobs.” “The major goal is making students feel welcome very early on,” Robles said. Without this level of support, students might be more likely to drop out of higher education or choose a different profession because they deem their goals unachievable. The resulting “web of support,” Robles said, provides a warm hand-off for students as they transition between community college, their four-year degree program and finally medical school. Instead of just trying to diversify residency applicants and medical school students, the program engages students early on. What sets the scholars program apart from other diversification programs is its “intersegmental” approach, said Rowena Robles, the program’s executive director. Each medical program partners with several undergraduate institutions and community colleges to recruit students who might be interested in medical careers. The program consists of four regional hubs - greater northern California, the San Joaquin Valley, the Inland Empire and the San Diego area - led by the medical schools at UC Davis, UCSF Fresno, UC San Diego and UC Riverside. This includes lower-income students, people of color, and speakers of English as a second language. Known as the California Medicine Scholars Program, the initiative wants to make medical school and physician careers more accessible for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Now, a new state-funded program seeks to address both the physician shortage and diversity gap by propelling community college students onto medical school. ![]()
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