Impact of a Summer Program in Healthcare on Career Decisions for High School and College Students – A Single Institution Experience

Introduction Institutional summer programs exist to encourage young people interested in various professions, including healthcare, to immerse themselves in the topic for several weeks. However, program evaluation should be conducted periodically to evaluate whether or not the program is achieving its goal of furthering healthcare career development. Therefore, we surveyed our prior Summer Program in Healthcare attendees to assess their matriculation into a healthcare profession or educational track. Methods This was a retrospective study using data collected as part of normal assessment of programs conducted at a community hospital in Southfield, MI. We also surveyed students who attended the program to assess their career and educational choices by emailing a link to a 10-item Google Forms document twice between January and May 2023. We surveyed high school and college undergraduate students who attended the program from 2015 to 2019. Results A total of 115 learners were sent the survey; 45 responded (38% response rate). A large majority (73%) listed their career goal as healthcare. Respondents were either still completing their education (62%) or were working part- or full-time (38%); most (93%) had completed a four-year degree. At this point, 27% (n=12) had completed a post baccalaureate program (8 from graduate programs and 4 from medical school). Almost all students (96%) indicated the program provided them with experiences that helped them in their education or career and rated the program as excellent or good. Conclusions The program has been beneficial to high school and undergraduate students in informing their career. Moreover, the positive endorsement of items related to obtaining resources necessary for success provides evidence that our Summer Program in Healthcare achieved its goal.