Effect of an Oncology Focused High School Outreach Event in Increasing Interest in Cancer Care and Healthcare Careers

Abstract

Despite widely heralded efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in oncology, few outreach programs exist to inspire high school students to pursue a career in medicine. Doctors' Day is an event developed and organized by medical trainees that features both didactic and hands-on learning components to provide high school students with exposure to the healthcare field and knowledge about cancer and cancer screening. We investigated in the influence of Doctors' Day on students' interest in healthcare careers and oncology. On March 30, 2023, health professions students and residents organized and led Doctors' Day, a half-day educational program for eight public high schools in Nashville, TN. After the event, high school student participants were invited to complete a 21-item survey. The questionnaire collected demographic information, feedback regarding the session, and comfort with various activities related to the program. Among the 8 public high schools involved in Doctors' Day, 91 participants completed the survey. Few (9, 9.9%) participants were White or European American, and 30 (33.0%) and 23 (25.3%) were Black and Hispanic, respectively. There were 20 (22.0%) participants who identified as LGBTQI+ with 2 (2.2%) indicating they were unsure. Feedback regarding the program was positive across all domains, and students reported increased interest in healthcare careers and oncology along with an increased comfort level in describing the importance of cancer screening. Our community outreach program for high school students with backgrounds underrepresented in medicine was effective in increasing interest in healthcare careers and oncology.

Keywords: Cancer education; Diversity; Equity; High school; Outreach; Recruitment; Survey study.