Recruiting community college students into health professions programs

BACKGROUND: The social mission of health professional schools is to train a diverse group of providers to care for all populations. Community college students encounter more challenges than traditional students in accessing the resources and support, including mentorship, needed to prepare for graduate health professions programs. This project aimed to identify community college students' challenges. METHODS: We expanded an existing mentorship program, initially designed for medical and community college students, to include other specialties such as nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs. RESULTS: Mentees indicated that barriers to participating in extracurricular activities included work, opportunities for shadowing a healthcare provider, lack of time, financial barriers, and living far away from volunteer opportunities. CONCLUSION: By addressing resource challenges and establishing intentional pathways for community college students through effective mentorship, we may enhance diversity in healthcare and alleviate the shortage of primary care providers.