Doctors of Tomorrow: Evaluating the effectiveness and impact of a virtual medical pipeline program during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background Doctors of Tomorrow (DoT) is a medical student-run pipeline program between the University of Michigan Medical School and high schools in Detroit, MI. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this program was offered virtually for the first time during the 2020–2021 academic year. There are limited studies on the outcomes of virtual pipeline programs. This study aims to identify the successes and limitations of the virtual DoT program by examining the participants’ self-reported perspectives and knowledge acquisition from their session participation. Methods Multiple methods were executed in this study. Matched pre- and post- surveys completed by the 2020–2021 participant cohort were analyzed using paired t-tests. In addition, participants’ responses to free-response questions were analyzed by coding with NVivo and subsequent content analysis. Results Program participants experienced a significant increase in their self-rated knowledge of delivered content after each session. Additionally, a significant increase in familiarity was detected with the path to becoming a physician and with a variety of medical fields. In the qualitative analysis, five overarching categories emerged: 1) path to medical school, 2) mentorship and role models, 3) scientific inquiry, 4) sense of belonging, and 5) fields of medicine. Conclusions The DoT virtual pipeline program provides convincing evidence that distance learning can still be an effective way to help URiM students explore careers in medicine, gain awareness about the path to medical school, and connect with mentors. This may serve as a low-cost option for universities to engage with and extend their service to communities, especially in an increasingly digital world.