Ten Years of Orienting College Students to Careers in Medicine

Abstract

MANY college students who contemplate a medical career volunteer for hospital work in order to have hospital experience and something to cite on their medical school applications. In the past, students were often given menial tasks that gave them neither experience nor understanding about what a medical career entails. We were concerned that many young men and women entered medical school without a clear concept of the demands of the profession. Once in medical school, they sometimes realized they were committed to something that they really did not want, with consequent disillusionment or lost time, money, and opportunity. We were also aware that highly qualified students increasingly had been turning away from medicine. We therefore developed a program in 1981 to provide college students from our area with a useful and balanced exposure to medical care and practice so that they could make an informed decision about their future careers.