The journey toward becoming a doctor is challenging but it can be especially difficult for students from groups historically underrepresented in science and medicine or for those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. They often face extra roadblocks along the way: fewer mentors to guide them toward careers in these fields or a lack of opportunity to volunteer, perform research, build a network, and shadow health professionals.
To break down those barriers, several pathway programs offered by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and its partner institutions connect students to valuable academic and clinical resources.
One such program is Mentoring in Medicine (MIM), co-found by Montefiore Einstein's Dr. Lynne Holden, which offers academic enrichment, leadership development, civic engagement opportunities, and mentoring for underrepresented and low-income students starting in elementary school and continuing through medical school. The goal of the program is to inspire students to become healthcare professionals and equip them with skills and resources they need to succeed.
The Emergency Department Clinical Exposure and Mentoring Program (ED-CEMP), a part of MIM, provides students with the opportunity to volunteer, shadow, and learn about many specialties and medical careers in a busy urban ED. For the first time, the department of medicine participated in this program. Drs. Kristina Campton (dermatology), Amy Ehrlich (geriatrics), Molly Fisher (nephrology), and Kristine Torres-Lockhart (general internal medicine - addiction medicine) received high praise from the students after their experiences. One student remarked: “This shadowing experience was my first time learning that addiction medicine was its own distinct subspecialty. I really learned how important this specialty is for patients who are struggling with an addiction. Dr. Torres really brought to my attention that addiction is truly a disease (even worse, because of the stigma that surrounds it).”
Mariana Pinanez, who shadowed Drs. Alyson K. Myers and Kristina Campton, provided this first-hand account of her experience. She recently earned a bachelor's in science degree from St. John's University and is currently taking a gap year to gain more clinical experience and study for the MCAT. She plans on applying to medical school in 2025.
Mariana Pinanez
During my junior year of undergrad, I was eager to find any program that would allow pre-meds to explore the healthcare field. Through a Google search, I was able to come across the Mentoring in Medicine program and luckily for me, it was in NYC.
After applying to multiple pipeline programs and not getting in, I felt discouraged for a while and questioned whether I was fit to be a part of the pre-med community. The pandemic further exacerbated this thought. I didn't have any prior exposure to the healthcare field besides my own experiences with my doctor so the decision to commit to medicine was not where I wanted it to be. Finding the Mentoring in Medicine program felt like a great opportunity to help solidify whether I wanted to continue with the pre-med track. Potentially getting the opportunity to shadow doctors and volunteer at Montefiore's emergency department was simply something I could not pass by. The program also allowed students to participate in community service and service has always been something I highly value. The component that stood out to me the most was that this program was catered to individuals who were underrepresented in medicine. The reason why I question my abilities to do medicine so often is because I don't have anyone who works in this field. Medicine is hard and not having people around you that understand or provide resources makes it even harder. Hearing that only 6% of doctors are Hispanic made me believe it was impossible. However, this program made me regain hope.
When I got accepted into this program, I was ecstatic. Joining that first Zoom meeting I didn't feel outcasted. I felt I belonged and wanted to be a part of this community. It was an empowering moment knowing that potentially we were going to raise the numbers of those underrepresented in medicine. Going into the emergency department for the first time felt incredibly intimidating. It was a fast-paced environment and as every hour passed by more patients were filling up the department. As a volunteer, I didn't want to take up too much space given that there was so little, but I did my best to provide comfort to patients at such a vulnerable time. It felt so good to see a patient smile after giving them a pillow or food tray. For the first time, I observed death and had to sit with myself for a while thinking about how this would be considered a “normal” thing to see as a doctor. People tend to over-glamorize medicine but there is a sad part to it too. I realized that doctors are not only responsible for taking care of patients but also reassuring their patients' caregivers. It's just as important to listen and comfort them as well. I gravitated towards Montefiore because a large majority of patients were Spanish-speaking and so connecting with patients through a language made me more eager to continue on this path. Language barriers are something I think everyone will face in the workplace, but seeing how the providers were able to speak different languages or use a personal translator was cool to see. You can see how one opens up more if there is something to connect over.
Shadowing doctors across different specialties, such as endocrinology and dermatology, was another great opportunity. Gaining better insight into their day-to-day life was super important to me because it helped me figure out if it's something I see myself doing for the rest of my life. I got to see how rounds work and observe the patient-doctor dynamic more closely. Being able to work in a team is also very important because the attending was not only working with their fellows and residents but also doctors of different specialties. It was a lot of back-and-forth communication to ensure that the patient received adequate care.
The mandatory webinars/lectures were also extremely insightful because the speakers gave us guidance on self-improvement and management tips. Other lectures were based on health equity and other enriching topics.
My overall impression of this program is that people who are involved are genuinely wanting to support the students and their career goals. Mentorship and networking are emphasized throughout. I think mentorship slowly attaches to the students in this program because when I first started volunteering, I shadowed another volunteer with Mentoring in Medicine. She was almost done with the program and was actually admitted into medical school. I was inspired to see it come full circle for her and she was able to give me advice and tips on how to navigate the ER as a volunteer. As weeks went by, I was able to build a flow and help other new volunteers become less intimidated by this environment. The students in this program are collaborative and we all want to see each other succeed. The thought of not being able to pursue a career in medicine slowly started to shrivel because I saw doctors who looked like me and were succeeding in this career. I saw doctors who cared about their patients and wanted to understand who they were instead of just focusing on their disease. Of course, there were instances of questioning this career path. Volunteering at the ED made me realize that doctors had less time interacting with patients than I assumed. I think this program is a great first step into navigating a career in medicine. Even though I started out wanting to pursue a medical degree, I got to see the workflow of physician assistants and nurses as well. It's a great opportunity to get exposure to different careers in medicine and to develop relationships with these professionals.
Posted on: Thursday, November 02, 2023