Health career recruitment
Local governments can invest in this strategy using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
- This strategy can help address educational disparities and assist unemployed workers. The U.S. Department of Treasury has indicated that strategies that help achieve these outcomes are eligible for the use of Fiscal Recovery Funds.
Investments in this strategy are SLFRF-eligible as long as they are made in qualified census tracts or are designed to assist populations or communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Program basics
- Programs that recruit and train students who are typically underrepresented in health careers
- Services may include career and academic advising, admissions counseling, access to advanced classes in health science subjects, practical work experiences and internships, and case management
Strength of evidence
Evidence level: Proven (highest tier)
?
Proven (highest tier)
Ranked as having the highest level of evidence by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
Target population
High school-aged children
Program cost
Not available
Implementation locations
- Nationwide
Dates active
Not available
Outcomes and impact
- Increased academic achievement and educational attainment
- Increased high school graduation rates
- Improved competitiveness of applicants for postsecondary education
- Increased college enrollment
- Improved professional skills
- Increased acceptance into medical school
- Increased representation in the healthcare workforce and increased income for minority students
- A more diverse healthcare workforce increases rates of patient-doctor trust, with patients reporting that sharing an ethnicity or language with their healthcare provider increased their satisfaction with the care provided
Keys to successful implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- Implement programs early in the educational pipeline to assure strong results in health career applications from underrepresented groups.
- Take note of inadequate institutional resources, strained personal finances, insufficient guidance, and societal barriers, all of which act as obstacles for populations underrepresented in health careers; design and implement programming accordingly.
- Include summer experience programs and research mentorships in order to increase the likelihood of program acceptance and program completion.
- For college students, identify participants early in enrollment to help them complete math and science courses with grades strong enough for medical school acceptance.
- Connect students with current physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and medical students who can serve as mentors.
- Implement long-term interventions.
- Coordinate and share information with various health career recruitment programs in order to reach the overall goal with efficacy.
- Record data, such as students’ results and growth, diligently in order to identify which program materials are effective and which are not.
- Offer individualized advisement on college admissions and career counseling, specifically tailored to the health sciences field.
