The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41203

Alberto Jose Cardelle, PhD, MPH, Public Health Program, East Stroudsburg University, 200 Prospect Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, 570-422-3401, acardelle@po-box.esu.edu

The literature is replete with reports that Latinos are severely underrepresented in the health professions. A critical strategy for countering this trend is the development of mentoring programs that create awareness and provide guidance for Latino students in the health professions. This paper evaluates the results of a mentoring project the employs the practice of Telementoring -- a combination of the proven practice of mentoring with the speed and ease of electronic communication. Telementoring enables busy professionals to make significant contributions to the academic lives of students. Using synchronous and asynchronous telecommunication technology this project linked up University health sciences faculty with students at the predominantly Latino Roberto Clemente Charter School. Using both video-conferencing, chat rooms and web exercises the program encouraged students to explore careers in the health sciences. Using quantitative and qualitative data and analysis this paper shows the results of a yearlong evaluation of the program and forecasts the long-term effects of the mentoring. Three different levels of participants are evaluated – mentors, the charter school faculty and the students. Pre-post instruments, and student performance on web exercises are used to measure the program’s impact on student’s knowledge and attitudes with regard to the health professions. Grades and teacher observations are used to measure the program’s impact on school performance especially in the areas of math and science. The paper also examines the results of a process evaluation aimed at determining the efficiency of the strategy as well as its replicability.

Learning Objectives:

• - appreciate the strategy of telementoring and all of its potential
• - understand the impact of the telementoring on student attitudes and knowledge about the health professions
• - be able to explain the efficiency and replicability of the telementoring strategy.

Keywords: Latinos, Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.