Health Careers Pipeline Programs
The Center on Health Disparities is committed to supporting and encouraging underrepresented students through every phase of the academic pipelines process. This process begins with preparing K through 12 students and ends with employment in a health career at VCU. Currently, the Workforce Diversity Task Force is identifying university-based pipeline programs that recruit and support students at all levels.
VCU offers the following programs designed to increase diversity in the health professions workforce.
Outreach Programs (Kindergarten through 12th Grade)
Youth Health Service Corps
Youth Health Service Corps is a program that was developed by the Connecticut Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) and is being piloted by the Virginia AHEC in Northern Virginia. The program trains and places high school students (grades 10-12) as volunteers in community service agencies providing health care to vulnerable underserved populations. The program is based on learning objectives that not only train youth to become volunteers, but also empowers youth to take on leadership roles within their communities and with their peers. For more information, contact Erika Dumke at (804) 628-7605.
VCUH Jr. Volunteers
The purpose of the program is to enable junior volunteers to assist staff, patients and their families at the VCU Medical Center and to provide the volunteer with opportunities to learn about health care careers while experiencing the personal benefits of giving freely of their time to help others. Participants must have completed eighth grade and be at least 14 years old but not 18 years old by the program’s start date. For more information, call (804) 828-0992 or visit the program’s Web site.
Dental Careers Exploration Program
Designed to assist high school students with their academic performance and give them exposure to dentistry. Participants will attend sessions on public speaking, debating a dental topic, as well as experience hands-on dental exposure and observations in dental clinics. For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Booker at clbooker@vcu.edu or (804) 828-9953.
Project ACEe
Project ACEe is a five-month academic enrichment experience for minority and/or disadvantaged11th- and 12th-graders from the Richmond Metropolitan area. The program is designed to expose students to the health professions, specifically medicine, and to provide them with academic survival skills. It also provides students with clinical experiences where they gain first-hand knowledge about medical careers. For more information, call (804) 828-0997 or visit the program’s Web site.
VCU Summer Discovery
This summer program for middle school students offers two health care focused classes (listed below) in which students spend a week at the VCU Medical Center with either School of Nursing faculty and students, or with a Medical student and professionals in various health care fields.
- A Week in Scrubs-Nursing in the 21st Century includes visits to operating and emergency rooms, a look at pediatric nursing with a visit to the neonatal intensive care unit and an introduction to the latest equipment and skills being used by members of the nursing profession. This course is presented by the VCU School of Nursing and the VCU Medical Center. Learn more or call (804) 828-3635.
- Exploring Health Care provides students the opportunity to spend a week with a medical student at the VCU Medical Center and meet health care professionals in different fields, including but not limited to pharmacy, surgery, physical therapy and emergency medicine. By visiting different laboratories and having hands-on experiences and interactions with health professionals, students learn about the challenges and rewards of various careers in health care. Learn more or call (804) 828-3635.
Jump Rope to Stethoscope
Jump Rope to Stethoscope is a community outreach program offered through the Office of Workforce Development at the VCU Medical Center. This program is designed to reach children in grades kindergarten through 12 to increase the education and awareness of health care professions. Students are introduced to the health care field through many diverse programs including nursing camps, attending school career days, hospital tours, health care clubs and courses offered at Martin Luther King Middle School. In addition, this program partners with the Forensic Nurse Examiners Team, which conducts outreach programs on trauma prevention and safety at high schools in Central Virginia. This pipeline program has the goal of increasing the diversity within the health care workforce and to create the VCU Medical Center workforce of the future. For more information, contact Theresa Mondovics, RN, at (804) 628-0249 or tmondovics@mcvh-vcu.edu; or Karen Hill, RN, at (804) 827-1702 or khill@mcvh-vcu.edu. For more information about the Forensic Nurse Outreach Program, contact Susan Carson, RN, at scarson@mcvh-vcu.edu.
Cosby High School Collaboration
This program provides an introduction to a health sciences course and mentorship program taught and coordinated by VCU faculty in the Cosby High School Health Sciences Capacity Center. For more information, contact Seth Leibowitz, director of Pre-health Sciences Advising, slleibowitz@vcu.edu or (804) 827-8648, or visit the program’s Web site.
Summer Enrichment Day Camp
Summer Enrichment Day Camp is a four-week program designed for rising fourth- through sixth-graders, ages 8 to 11, who are interested in learning about health careers. This program is hands on and exposes participants to all aspects of the health and medical fields including medicine, dentistry, occupational therapy, nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy, life sciences and healthy living lifestyles. For more information, call (804) 827-9782.
Pre-Health Programs (Undergraduates)
Second Look
Weekend event to bring students from underrepresented populations who have been accepted to VCU back to campus for interaction with students of color and faculty. For more information, call (804) 828-0997.
The Alliance
The goal of the Alliance partnership is to increase the number of minority health professionals and researchers nationwide, with the hope of promoting better health outcomes for underrepresented minorities. The Alliance provides a 10-week summer research program for minority undergraduates. For more information, call (804) 827-2075 or visit the program’s Web site.
VCU Acceleration
A four-week summer health sciences program that exposes undergraduate students to the math and science curricula of health sciences. Students will also complete internships in various clinical health service provider settings. For more information, visit the program’s Web site.
Minority Mentorship Program
An opportunity for first-year medical students to connect with faculty to ease the transition into the first year of medical school and for faculty to provide advice and insight into certain fields of medicine. For more information, call (804) 828-0997.
Academic and Clinical Skills Symposium
The Academic and Clinical Skills Symposium is designed to give information to undergraduate students interested in health careers. The Symposium also provides additional insight into the clinical side of health careers by exposing students to basic clinical skills through hands-on demonstrations. For more information, contact the Office of Student Outreach Programs at (804) 828-1246.
Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising
The Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising serves VCU students and the community by providing information on curricula, course sequencing, volunteer service and application procedures to assist in the admission process to undergraduate-, graduate- and professional-level programs in the health sciences and legal studies. For more information, call (804) 827-8648 or visit the office’s Web site.
Diversity Access Program
This program is designed to provide students with the resources and exposure needed to successfully complete college level work and gain entrance into one of VCU’s health professions schools. This program operates through the Office of the Vice President of Health Sciences under the Office of Health Careers/Education and Special Services for Students. For more information, call (804) 827-2087 or visit the program’s Web site.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease STEP-UP Program
This program provides undergraduate students with a 10-week, hands-on research experience in a VCU laboratory setting. The research explored will be in NIDDK mission areas including diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and digestive, liver, urologic, kidney, and hematologic diseases. Each student is assigned a faculty mentor. Stipends provided. For more information, call (804) 827-2087 or visit the program’s Web site.
The SYNERGY Summer Internship Program (Genetic Counseling & Disabilities)
This eight-week internship provides undergraduate students from Virginia State University and Virginia Union University an opportunity to learn about the field of genetic counseling, childhood disabilities and careers in health care. Interns work with a VCU graduate student mentor, keep a journal about their experiences and complete a project related to the field of genetics. For more information, visit the program’s Web site.
Health Professions Programs
VCU School of Nursing RN-B.S. Weekend Program
The program is designed for RNs who want to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing. With classes just one weekend a month, and locations across Virginia or online, the RN-B.S. Weekend Program allows many participants to complete the program in as little as 18 months. The RN-B.S. Weekend Program targets Spanish-speaking nurses and public health nurses. For more information, contact Millie Flinn, Hispanic Coordinator, at flinnml@vcu.edu or (804) 828-5181; or visit the program’s Web site.
The Alliance
The goal of the Alliance partnership is to increase the number of minority health professionals and researchers nationwide, with the hope of promoting better health outcomes for underrepresented minorities. The Alliance provides a 10-week summer research program for minority faculty members with an interest in health-related research. For more information, call (804) 827-2075 or visit the program’s Web site.
Pipeline-related Services
Introduction to Health Careers
VCU’s Deptartment of Gerontology and the Geriatric Education Center has designed a DVD to introduce middle-school through college-level students to careers in health. This DVD is posted on the Department of Gerontology’s Web site and copies can be made available upon request. For more information, contact the Virginia Geriatric Education Center at (804) 828-9060.