Parental Engagement in a Mini Medical School Program for 4th-6th Grade Students
Mini Medical School through Rosalind Franklin University, in combination with the CPASS Foundation and North Chicago Community Partners (NCCP) is an innovative program that allows underrepresented students in Lake County, IL from 4th-6th grade to learn medical topics directly from medical students in a hands on manner, and teaches students about various careers within healthcare. This program is run by students at Rosalind Franklin University, who teach the lessons themselves, and is supported by faculty and staff.
Caregivers play a large role in guiding and shaping their child’s future. Involving caregivers in these programs and including a caregiver education component that is aligned with a mini-medical school may provide opportunities for caregivers to develop an understanding of the pathways to health science careers for their children, learn how to better support their child interested in these careers, and gain access to relevant resources. Additionally, parental participation and engagement can significantly benefit the community’s health awareness as a whole. When parents are involved, they become an actively engaged learner about medical topics which they can then pass on to their families and others within the community.
This study focused on quality improvement of the RFU mini medical school program based on parent feedback gathered at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 program, and details the progress and improvements made to the program for the 2023-2024 year. Parents provided this feedback in an open feedback session at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 program year in both English and Spanish sessions.
This work is a part of an ongoing study on determining parent perceptions of the RFU Mini Medical School Program, and understanding how caregivers of participants in mini medical schools perceive access to healthcare professions. Of particular interest is how parental inclusion in these programs may play a role in the development of medical students as well as how this may allow caregivers of students to develop their perspectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This poster will provide an overview of ways the RFU Mini Medical School program has engaged parents in education of medical topics and in their child’s participation within the program, and discuss how this innovative model can facilitate the disbursement of health knowledge in the community.