A little bit of everything: Persistence though the pre-medical pipeline for first and continuing generation students.

This qualitative research study examines pre-medical college student persistence in their pathway to medical education. Through the framework of Terenzini and Reason’s College Student Persistence Model (2005), this work sought to understand the pre-college experiences, campus support factors, and external environments that help pre-medical college students to continue toward their goal of medical school entry. This study included pre-medical undergraduate students in the campus context of one public institution in the Southern Unites States. Pre-medical upperclassmen students were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol developed with the persistence framework. The analysis was conducted to obtain a more nuanced understanding of the key areas for campus intervention and support of this college student population, including differential support for first-generation college students (FGCS) and their continuing generation peers. The main findings uncovered from the research are the role that early exposure to medicine, supportive college environments, including academic and co-curricular experiences, and external environments play in supporting pre-medical student persistence. Results from study offer recommendations for enhancing support for pre-medical undergraduate college students and identify opportunities for further research to support this student population.