MedLink

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MedLink

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What is MedLink?

• MedLink is a program created by UCSF medical
  students to offer support and guidance to San
  Francisco high school students who hope to become
  the first in their family to attend college.
• Medical students and high school students meet
  several times during the school year to
  participate together in a structured program of
  science education and college counseling.
• Throughout the program and following its
  completion, the relationships that develop
  between high school students and their personal
  mentors provide a foundation for future success.

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Why we need MedLink Improving diversity in
medicine

• Multiple studies have demonstrated that people
  from minority groups and low income communities
  are under-represented in medicine and other
  health professions
• 2 of medical students in the US are from the
  bottom income quintile (www.ruralmedicaleducation.
  org)
• 7 of Californians are African American and 31
  are Hispanic, while only 3 of Californias
  physicians are African American and 4 are
  Hispanic (Center for Health Workforce Studies,
  2004)
• Black and Hispanic physicians are more likely to
  provide care to underserved populations
  (Komaromy, 1996)

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Evidence-based mentoring

• Mentored youth are likely to have fewer absences
  from school, better attitudes towards school,
  less drug and alcohol use, more positive
  attitudes toward their elders and toward helping
  in general, and improved relationships with their
  parents. (Jekielek, 2002)
• Mentoring is augmented by structured programs,
  mentor training, mentor background in helping
  profession, and parental involvement. (Hall,
  2003)
• Factors associated with better mentee outcomes
• Increased frequency and duration of contact with
  mentor
• Mentor provides access to concrete resources
• Mentee perceives high-quality relationship with
  mentor
• (Hall, 2003 and Jekielek, 2002)

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MedLink Past and Present

• MedLink was started by four UCSF medical students
  in 2002 with support from the UCSF Center for
  Science Education Opportunity (CSEO) and Dr.
  Sharad Jain, who continues to function as its
  faculty advisor.
• Since 2002, the task of coordinating MedLink has
  been handed down from second year medical
  students to first year medical students.
  Recently, a small number of fourth year students
  have also participated in program development and
  coordination through the Area of Concentration in
  Community Health and Social Advocacy.
• Due to a decrease in the budget of the CSEO in
  2003, MedLink has had to rely on inconsistent
  funding from the ASUC and ASSM, and generous
  contributions from students and faculty to
  continue to operate.

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The Program Participants

• 40 high school students from public high schools
  in southeast San Francisco (currently Mission and
  Balboa)
• 40 medical student mentors from the first and
  second year classes at UCSF
• 5-10 medical student coordinators from the
  second year class at UCSF
• 2 fourth year medical student advisors
• 1 faculty advisor

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The Program Schedule

• 5 sessions conducted on Saturdays during the
  school year with roughly one month between
  sessions
• Typical schedule
• 930-1030College counseling workshop
• 1030-1200Science education
• 1200-100Lunch with individual mentors
• 100-200Mentoring and special activities
• Mentors and mentees communicate by phone and
  email between sessions

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College and career preparation

• Topics include
• What is college like?
• Writing a personal statement
• Financial aid
• Volunteer opportunities in science, health, and
  community service

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Science education

• Topics include
• Shock
• Neuroanatomy
• Pathology
• Outbreak investigations

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Mentoring and special activities

• Activities include
• Taking vital signs
• Health and science career fair
• Teambuilding games
• Interviewing patients with chronic diseases

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Evaluations

• Students and mentors complete surveys about
  MedLink twice a year
• High school students rank their enjoyment and
  learning from each MedLink activity on a five
  point scale with scores ranging from 4.32 to 4.88

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Evaluations Comments

• What have you enjoyed most?
• having a real medical student as my mentor
• being able to talk with people interested in
  same career
• the anatomy lab and all the hands on things
• What could we improve?
• nothing
• morning hours are too early
• What would you like to do in the future?
• see a real doctorwhat they do in a typical day
• help other kids like myself
• visit some famous medical school

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Goals for the future

• Secure a consistent source of funding
• Improve the mechanism for leadership transitions
• Deepen and expand our relationships with high
  schools and community based organizations
• Create a mentoring elective in partnership with
  other campus organizations
• Continue to improve evaluation and follow up