Medical Like Me Mentorship Program

Abstract

North Carolina faces a healthcare workforce shortage which the recent pandemic has exacerbated. Health care entities are experiencing a mass exodus of nurses, providers, and interdisciplinary professionals. In Orange County, North Carolina, high school students lacked a healthcare mentorship program that encouraged entry into the healthcare field. The Medical Like Me Mentorship (MLM) program was developed to increase awareness among North Carolina high school students of opportunities in the medical profession and encourage a career in health care, particularly nursing. An exhaustive literature review revealed common themes for a successful mentorship program. Effective strategies included group counseling sessions, “pipeline programs,” shadow programs, and offering health science fairs. The project was implemented in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in collaboration with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District administrators. The study population was 11th and 12th-grade students. Approximately 44 students attended up to eight professional speaking sessions. One hundred and thirty-two surveys were collected for data analysis. Seventy-two percent of the respondents reported the speaking sessions increased their interest in a career in health care; 86% reported an increase in knowledge of the different nursing roles; and 70% reported considering a career in nursing. The Medical Like Me Mentorship program has the potential to decrease the nurse staffing crisis, improve nursing retention, address patient safety concerns directly related to staffing shortages, provide exposure to diverse interdisciplinary professions, and encourage community involvement that supports the development of our adolescents. Other school districts could quickly adapt the MLM project due to the program’s structure and flexible virtual platform. This simple yet effective program makes it is easy to reach many students and school districts.