Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
7-14-2023
Abstract
Students Exploring Careers in Health (SECiH) is an organization born out of a student project. It is now led by a group of dedicated health professions students committed to sharing knowledge about the healthcare field with students at under-resourced high schools around New Mexico. We envision to increase the awareness of the spectrum of professions in healthcare for the student participants and hopefully instill in them the understanding that these professions are open to them and attainable for their futures.
SECiH is run by a diverse group of professionals from various health colleges including medicine, occupational therapy, and population health. By working together to plan events, high school students are exposed to a wide range of health careers during their day visiting campus. This includes having the opportunity to talk with many of the health occupations involved in care at the University Hospital. The high school students leave with a better understanding of potential future health career opportunities.
Over the last few semesters, we have hosted Navajo Prep, Highland High School, and Pecos High School to explore UNM’s Health Science campus. The day is dedicated to allowing the students to gain a deeper understanding of the expectations and journey of becoming a healthcare professional. Students get the opportunity to speak with trainees and faculty from the medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, dental hygiene, population health, emergency medical services, and physician assistant programs. They also participate in hands-on activities such as a suturing workshop, human anatomy and surgery virtual reality, compounding pharmacy demonstration, blood pressure workshop, cryotherapy and skin cancer workshop, and occupational therapy lab. We continuously work to improve our efforts by administering a survey at the start and end of each event that allows us to gain insight into a student's personal exposure, interest, and potential barriers to the health field, as well as feedback from the event.
Our mission is centered around giving students in rural communities of New Mexico the opportunity to have a hands-on look at potential careers in the healthcare profession. The goal of maximizing exposure to these fields is to minimize potential barriers to the attainability of pursuing a health professional career education. In doing so, the hope is that students will pursue careers in the healthcare field and take their knowledge back to their community to practice. This in turn will increase the number of providers in smaller New Mexican communities, increase access to healthcare and treatment, and overall improve health outcomes. Through our mission, we have been able to minimize barriers and provide support to Navajo Prep through summer medical pipeline programs, to jump-start their future health careers.
Recommended Citation
Oyeku, Oluwaseun; Chantel Clark; Dante Rangel; Kristen Cummings; Lynn Midani; Dominique Spence; and Samantha Moore. "Students Exploring Careers in Health; Minimizing Barriers to Healthcare Careers." (2023). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_ipe_day/2
Comments
Poster presented at Interprofessional Education Day 2023