Demographic Characteristics and Career Plans of First-Generation Medical Students at a Single Medical School in the United States

Recruitment of first-generation medical students is essential to improving diversity and inclusion in US medical colleges. First-generation students offer unique experiential insights that foster empathy and cultural competency in the learning environment and improve health outcomes for patients. However, little is known about their demographic characteristics or career goals. It is important to identify these factors to provide insight on ways to better support first-generation students. This exploratory pilot study aimed to describe background, demographic characteristics, and goals of students. We administered a secondary analysis of a quality improvement and health disparities survey to third-year medical students at a large, private medical school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Measures included demographic information, interest in loan forgiveness programs, and other career goal items. The authors conducted χ2 goodness-of-fit tests to examine differences by first-generation status. Thirteen percent of respondents identified as first-generation medical students (n=26). First-generation medical students were more likely to be male, aged 21-26 years, White, and non-Hispanic/Latino. First-generation students were significantly more likely to report wanting to care for underserved populations during their career and enter loan forgiveness programs, with Department of Education’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program most often cited. This study provides an exploratory profile of characteristics of first-generation medical students and their career intentions. The authors' results suggest that enrollment of first-generation students may increase the number of physicians who are willing to serve underserved populations. However, first-generation students may also need more financial support through loan forgiveness programs which has important implications for medical education.

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