Date of Award
12-2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Executive Leadership
First Supervisor
W. Jeff Wallis
Abstract
This study measured the effectiveness of the Travelers Summer Research Fellowship (T-SRF) Program for Premedical Students. No in-depth study has been conducted on the impact of its activities. A program-oriented qualitative summative evaluation approach and a logic model design were used to analyze survey responses for participants from four program years randomly chosen from 2000 to 2015, medical school enrollment records for participants from 1969 to 2015, physician practice locations for participants from 1969 to 2009, and interviews with a purposeful random sample of 10 physicians who were program participants from 2004 to 2008. Narrative inquiry consisted of audio recording, transcription, and analysis of individual accounts and participant experiences. The study revealed that participants valued interactions with physicians from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. Talks on careers in medicine increased participants’ knowledge, and research projects helped develop skills. Cardiovascular physiology lectures introduced participants to the medical school learning experience and increased their confidence to apply to medical school successfully. T-SRF enhanced participants’ medical school applications and sharpened interviewing skills; 83% matriculated into medical school, 90% graduated, and 45% practice in HPSAs, MUAs/Ps, and rural areas. Recommendations included improving program orientation, making the cardiovascular physiology lectures and examinations more valuable experiences, re-evaluating the study skills curriculum, providing more clinical experiences, increasing the weekly stipend, improving maintenance of the alumni database, formally partnering admissions with the T-SRF program, helping alumni return to Weill Cornell as residents or fellows, and considering other ways to measure social concern. Further studies of T-SRF should be undertaken.
Recommended Citation
Wilson-Anstey, Elizabeth A., "Effectiveness of the Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program in Preparing Premedical Students for a Career in Medicine" (2016). Education Doctoral. Paper 282.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/education_etd/282
Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations.