A comparative analysis of career development programs in developing a viable health careers pipeline

This study investigates whether educational enrichment programs have an impact on the career paths of individuals from underrepresented minority (URM) groups. The literature consistently illustrates the compelling rationale supporting the need to develop minority professionals in all areas of healthcare.;This study looked at two models of minority enrichment programs between the years 2000-2004: the Urban Health Program of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC UHP) and the Chicago Area Health and Medical Career Program (CAHMCP) at Illinois Institute of Technology, also located in Chicago.;Both the CAHMCP and UIC UHP programs provide opportunities for students seeking careers in a variety of disciplines. This analysis focused on those who chose to pursue medicine, dentistry, and osteopathy in the CAHMCP's program and careers in public health in the UIC UHP program. The researcher hypothesized that the CAHMCP and UIC UHP programs can both be effective in achieving a more equitable representation of minority health professionals than schools without such programs, and that they are important in ensuring a viable health professions pipeline. The study is based on a mixed analytic model that used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in collecting and analyzing the data. The sample included 92 students from CAHMCP and 62 students from UIC UHP. Comparison demographic and scholastic data were obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health (Association of Schools of Public Health, 2001-2004). The qualitative analysis revealed evidence that the career development and enrichment programs do affect the ability of programs to produce a viable pipeline of racially/ethnically diverse health professions students.;Using a series of paired t-tests, the researcher found that 63% of the CAHMCP participants were admitted to a professional school.;The data also show that the probability of being admitted does not vary significantly by type of degree, race, or gender. The data also revealed, using a logistic regression analysis, that the determinants of admission for UIC UHP participants were statistically significant and the final GRE scores were significant predictors of admission to professional school.;The findings of this study were generally consistent with the literature reviewed relative to the importance of maintaining a viable minority health professions pipeline.