ABSTRACT
The Alliance for Individualized Mentoring (AIM) Program was implemented at the University of South Florida College of Public Health in 1999. AIM is funded by a grant from AHEC to support students from minority or underserved backgrounds in their quest to reach their academic and professional goals in public health and the health professions. The students are recruited from undergraduate programs in Arts and Sciences and from the graduate level within the College of Public Health. Activities include workshops, shadowing, regular communication between student and mentor, career counseling, a web site, and a newsletter. Pipeline efforts start at the 20 area high schools with a yearly visit and a presentation on health professions and public health.
The AIM Program currently has 89 students, 52 mentors. Staff regularly communicates with both mentors and students via the web site, email, phone calls, and our newsletter to ensure that mentors and students are in touch with one another.
The program has presented some valid obstacles. The recruitment of committed, dedicated mentors remain the most challenging due to busy schedules and the distance to remote under-served areas. The benefits of the mentoring program cannot be quantified. Our feedback indicates an overwhelmingly positive response with respect to the satisfaction of the participants. Last, we have outlined some objective outcome measures in our program. They include a web site counter, periodic surveys, number of participants recruited and retained, number of minority students and mentors in the program, workshop evaluations, and long term follow-up.
See www.hsc.usf.edu/PUBHEALTH/GRANTS/AIM.HTMLLearning Objectives: 1. Identify important components of a successful mentoring program. 2. Describe the process of successfully matching students with community-based mentors. 3. Outline steps in to create a meaningful shadowing program as a component of mentoring. 4. Describe the process of recruiting minority mentors and students to participate in the mentoring program. 5. Describe the program components (high school, undergraduate and graduate outreach) that promote early awareness of public health as a career. 6. Identify objective outcome measures.
Keywords: Public/Private Partnerships, Students
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: NA
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.