SPCC Atlanta AHEC has had yet another successful summer of intense programming. Over the summer, we partnered with the Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University School of Medicine’s HCOP to provide our scholars with mentorship from various health career professionals. We also provided them with several learning opportunities, healthcare facility tours, and exposure to various health careers. Our scholars interacted with healthcare professionals who shared their own personal experiences about their education, career backgrounds, extracurricular life, and more. This engagement afforded students the opportunity to build relationships for long-lasting mentorships.
These are the purposes and goals of this collaborative effort:
- Build scholars’ knowledge and comprehension of college preparations, applications to college, scholarship readiness, resume building, and interaction with admissions and financial aid representatives from local post-secondary institutions which offer academic programs in health careers.
- Enhance scholars’ interest in pursuing a health career by offering in-person, in-depth conversations with local healthcare professionals to discuss the academic journey’s initial spark of their career interest; educational pathway; career description; balance with extracurricular life; and salaries.
- Build scholars’ knowledge of Inter-professional Education by exposing them to different disciplines in the healthcare field and by providing them an opportunity to work together to balance individual approaches while meeting the needs of underserved populations.
We accomplish our goals by engaging students in productive and resourceful activities:
Pathway to College:
This is a panel discussion in which high school scholars engage the panelists, who are professionals at different colleges/universities, and address the initial process of applying for college. The topics include financial aid, scholarships, and health career clubs.
Imagine Me as What I See:
Speed-Learning Health Professional Round Table Session- With this program, scholars learn of careers within different disciplines, including (but not limited to) medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health, pharmacy, and chiropractic medicine. Scholars engage with three local healthcare professionals and learn of the beginning spark of their career interest, educational pathway, etc. Scholars enhance their personal motivation and self-awareness of the process on becoming premier healthcare professionals.
From Mock-tales to a Career:
The “mock” participants are actually health career admissions program representatives who are undercover and who engage in conversations with our undergraduate college students. The purpose is to evaluate the students’ preparedness for a real health career admissions program. Students received valuable feedback from the “mock” participants with whom they engaged in conversation.
Roadmap to Health Careers:
Each high school scholar engages with a minimum of five healthcare professionals from different health career disciplines and ask pertinent questions during a panel style discussion. They are able to ask these healthcare professionals questions about the academic journeys, challenges, rewards, daily responsibilities, and salaries of their respective careers. The scholars also tour a local healthcare facility.
Health Career Professionals Mock Emergency Preparedness Activity:
Twenty-five scholars and Emory program staff learn of Inter-professional Education (IPE) via a mock emergency preparedness activity. This activity provides students with exposure to several different health career disciplines and shows the important role that IPE plays in the health careers. Scholars learn what it takes to balance the demands of these health careers and their individual approaches to meeting the needs of underserved populations in emergency situations.
