威尼斯人娱乐城医学院的一个新组织旨在支持和鼓励拉丁裔学生帮助他们在医学院取得成功并成为医生。
Raquel McCommon, coordinator of strategic initiatives in the school’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said Latinx students are paired with physician mentors who can meet with and help the students through the challenges of life as an underrepresented minority in medical school and beyond.
一年前成立的拉美医学学院，让学生们有机会见到成功的拉美医生。
“That in itself is supportive, motivating and inspiring,” McCommon said. “It’s a way of making them feel a sense of belonging, connected, that they have people who are looking out for them, who understand where they’re coming from to help them have better success.”
McCommon said most of the students participating in the program are also involved in the school’s STAHR (Students Training in Academia, Health and 研究) program. 在美国卫生资源和服务管理局的资助下，该项目还帮助来自弱势背景的学生进入医疗保健项目。
然而，McCommon说，STAHR项目目前没有任何西班牙裔学生导师。
“What we were hearing from our Latinx students was ‘we need mentors and we need mentors that look like us,’” she said. “Part of the challenge is finding physicians who come from the same background and experiences as our Latinx students.”
As a result, 医学院 Dean Mary Anne Jackson, M.D., reached out to Liset Olarte, M.D., a pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, where Jackson is also on staff. Olarte leads the hospital’s Latinx Employee Resource Group, which includes several Hispanic physicians.
Olarte and her colleagues agreed to serve as physician mentors for the 医学院’s Latinos in Medicine program, which also partners with 威尼斯人娱乐城’s Avanzando program for Hispanic students campus wide.
“Not all of our students are going to go into pediatrics, but this is a stepping stone,” McCommon said. “Here is a physician that does look like you, who might speak the same language as you, that might have experienced a similar background or struggles as you.”
10名学生积极参与该项目，该项目向医学院的所有拉丁裔学生开放。 除了一对一的指导外，该计划还要求医学院的拉丁裔学生每年至少见面两次，包括学年开始时的欢迎项目。
McCommon说，更广泛的目标是提供更多的小组会议机会，例如面对面的学习会议，学生和导师可以在非正式的环境中聚在一起。
“Often students feel intimidated. There’s a level of hesitancy or reluctance,” McCommon said. “We want them to have what they need when they need it, not when it’s too late.”