Current Projects
Career Planning and Mentorship Program to Promote, Encourage, and Guide Inner City Adolescents into Health Care Professions
Isida Byku - M.D. Candidate for the year 2011
Objective
The main objective of this project is to reach out to high school students in the Manchester inner city area and provide them with mentorship, guidance and a support network in their endeavors to choose and pursue a career path in the health care field.
Many of us are very well aware of the fact that settling on what career one is going to pursue is one of the hardest and most crucial decisions that will have great consequences on the quality of life of the individual, as well as of those who are directly and/or indirectly related to that individual. Therefore, having resources such as ways to obtain information and advice, opportunities to have one's questions answered and learn from the experiences of others, and most importantly, having the chance to get exposure to one's field of interest as early as possible; are some of the key factors that enable one to make an educated and mature decision about their future. However, the availability of resources does not always equate to fairly distributed accessibility, and this is mostly the case for underserved population groups such as minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged citizens of inner cities. My mission and objective is to reach out to these targeted population groups amongst high schools of Manchester and provide them with a 'bridge', or a concrete means to accessing the resources that are and can be made available to them.
The societal view of the path to getting an education and/or training as a health care professional is most often viewed and depicted as "difficult, long, costly, strenuous ... etc". It is also believed by many people that one needs to come from a relatively advantaged background in order to be able to make it in the field, and this belief is mainly based on the fact that a great number of students who end up pursuing a career as a health care professional have family members who are also health care professionals and have encouraged and supported (both motivationally and financially) their interest to follow in their footsteps. These kinds of views provide some of the reasons why those who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are alienated from the health care professions. Instead of passively nurturing these beliefs by not doing anything to effect positive change, we should take a proactive role in encouraging young students who aspire to become health care professionals to pursue their dreams. The fact that we are at the present time experiencing a shortage of health care professionals across the country and especially in rural and/or underserved areas, is another pressing issue that we have to deal with as responsible members of society. In order to put a stop to the deterioration of these shortages we should encourage more young people to see the many rewarding and good sides of going into a health care profession, while also helping them get onto the right track for doing so.
I strongly believe that compassion, dedication, empathy, diligence and patience are a few of the essential ingredients in the making of a health care professional, and more often than not, these qualities are nurtured amongst those who don't have much to offer one another or their children in terms of materialistic things. Therefore, there are many bright and capable teenagers in urban and inner city populations who are intimidated by just the idea of getting a good education or who are afraid to even dream of becoming health care professionals. It is our responsibility as older and more experienced society members to make sure that they gain confidence in themselves and that they feel empowered to seek and obtain what all of us are entitled to having: the freedom and opportunity to use our talents as best as we can.
Project Overview
This project will be focused on underserved and/or underprivileged minority group high school students for various reasons. First and foremost, adolescence is the most vulnerable time in one's life in terms of decision-making and as I mentioned above, being able to have guidance and mentorship at such an important time is very important not only in helping the targeted high-school student populations, but also in ultimately contributing to improving the quality of life for all of society by encouraging these students to continue studying and to get a higher education possibly in the health care professions field. Secondly, there are about 25 different languages spoken within the Manchester high school, and that means that there is a very diverse student body. Some of the largest minority groups are Latino, Asian, African, Albanian, Bosnian, Turkish etc. Hence, there is much need for these students to be a member of a group or body of students who they feel that they can relate to and/or belong with, and with whom they share common goals and interests. One of the missions of this project, as will be outlined below, will be to create a consistent group of students with which we meet on a regular basis and to whom we can provide mentorship in a continuous manner.
The proposed service project:
The service project has being going on since November of 2007, and it was first ideated and started by DMS students Nicholas Ellis and Pablo Valdes. They established contacts with some of the guidance counselors and teachers at Manchester Central High School and below is a list of the activities that have already taken place or are scheduled to happen by the end of the 2007-2008 academic year:
| Dates | Presenters | Topic |
| 18-Jan | Nicolas, Jessica, Pablo | Getting into Medical School & College |
| 25-Jan | Rajesh, Leslie C., Umbar | TB, Malaria |
| 1-Feb | James McCarthy, Chiaka | Careers in Healthcare |
| 8-Feb | Kimberly C. | Sex, STIs, & AIDS |
| 13-Feb | Tom, Hannah, Pat Roman | Anatomical Dissection |
| 22-Feb | Nicolas Ellis, Isaac Howley, Matt Ippolito | Disparities in Healthcare |
| 1-Mar | Pablo, Andrew, PhD student | Research in the Biomedical Sciences |
| 14-Mar | Leslie C, Maria Miranda, Melissa D. | Nutrition |
| 20-Mar | Chetan Huded, Isaac Howley | Substance Abuse |
| 28-Mar | Aimee, Brandon, Imithri | International Health |
| April | Song, Adi, Pablo, Nicolas | Field Trip to DHMC |
Some of these events have been scheduled and modified according to various topics that the students have expressed interest in such as: watching an anatomical dissection of a pig heart, having a talk about biomedical research etc.
Goals for the future:
From having consulted with the students that have been involved with this project (Pablo Valdes) and also with Shawn O'Leary (Multicultural Affairs), I have created a list of goals for the continuation and expansion of the project in the upcoming year:
Target students from minority groups specifically
So far participant students have been selected by faculty and guidance counselors based on 2 criteria: intellectual capacity (many of the students were chosen from AP classes), and their expressed interest in health care professions.
While continuing to provide general information for these students when possible (by giving talks to larger audiences), I intend to work more closely with Mrs. Jessica Lombard, the guidance counselor that is our primary contact member from the high school, and get more directly involved in attracting minority students into creating a Manchester High School Health Professions Interest Group (HPIG).
Establish a formalized curriculum
I intend to establish a curriculum of activities for the upcoming year as early as possible and to carefully review the students' schedule as well as the DMS schedules for first and second year students so that there is as little conflict as possible between the organized events and class time or exams.
Set up a webpage under the Urban Health Scholars website
I plan on contributing in setting up a page with all the contact information of the people involved with the project as well as all the scheduled activities. I believe that this will create a good source of information for the students and also a means of contacting us at any time with questions, suggestions, concerns, etc.
Provide continuity and reliability
While the various talks will feature different speakers each time, it is my opinion that it will be beneficial for the students to be familiarized with some of us who will be going down to Manchester for the majority of the talks (such as myself and someone else who would like to get involved on a regular basis). I believe that this will be important in following up on the talks and establishing continuity in our support system.
Involve the Undergraduate Pre-Medical Student Group at Dartmouth College with our project
The Undergraduate Pre-Medical Student Group at Dartmouth is a body of students interested in pursuing a career in medicine and/or other health care professions. I believe that having some of the members of this group get involved with our project and have them come down with us to talk to the students and answer questions about the process of applying for college will be very beneficial (the high school students may be able to relate to the undergraduates better due to a smaller difference in age, and the undergraduates may have more up-to-date resources on college education than us).
The proposed agenda
After consulting with those who are currently involved with organizing the talks, I concluded that the agenda for the coming up year should include the following: 8-10 talks from September 2008 until April 2009 The talks will include both large and small groups, and they will be based on the following topics (which have been chosen according to the interest expressed by students so far, and are subject to change in case of change of interest)
Health professions exposure
This will include talks from medical doctors of different specialties, but also talks from nurses and physician assistants (the students have expressed interest in finding out more about the becoming and being a nurse or PA)
Healthy lifestyle
This part of the project will include talks on healthy eating/dieting/exercising, good decision making (safe sex practices, contraception etc.), infectious disease (STD's, AIDS, TB etc.).
Health education attainment
Talks with the undergraduate and graduate students about the importance of different subjects during high school/ and or college, choosing a major, extracurricular activities, standardized testing etc.
Establishment of role models
I believe that leading by example is a key component of giving credibility to one's words. Therefore, I plan on encouraging classmates and medical students from other classes who came from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, international students who came from other countries as well as other representatives of minority groups in the US to participate in motivational talks and provide tangible role models that can share their stories and show what it took for them to get to where they are.
Providing shadowing opportunities
Students have expressed interest in shadowing doctors of different specialties, in familiarizing themselves with the hospital setting and in touring the facilities of the DMS campus. All of these activities will be a part of the curriculum for next year's activities, and they will be an addition to the targeted 8-10 talks that will be given in the Manchester Central High School premises.
By getting to know the students better, we will be able to attend to their needs and answer their questions in a more specific, personal manner.
Future potential goals:
Set up parent-student group meetings
The role of the families and primary caregivers of high school students is of utmost importance. Parents and/or caregivers are actively involved in the decision-making process regarding choosing a college and career path. Hence, I am hoping that by getting to know the students better, we may also get to know their families and help answer the questions that they may have regarding health care professions etc.
Interest inventories for kids/survey-type career match questionnaires
For those who are unsure whether they are suited for a health care profession, we may help provide different questionnaires and inventories that are tailored to help one translate their interests and hobbies into an actual career path.
Enduring Value of the Project
The active involvement of the Urban Health Scholars Group (UHSG) of Dartmouth Medical School is an excellent way of establishing stronger ties to this project and in ensuring that it will continue in the future years. The UHSG intends to contribute in more than one way to the project: by helping organize the talks and providing some of the speakers (a great deal of the students who are members of the USHG are very passionate about getting involved and contributing in any way that is necessary); by helping with some of the expenses for transportation and lunch food on the days of the talks, etc.
But the most important role of the involvement of UHSG will come from the fact that this organization will live beyond the time of any of the students that will continue to get involved with this project such as my predecessors, myself and my followers. Hence, many more students who uphold the values cherished by the true spirit of DMS will continue to come, and I can say with confidence that there will always be someone who will want to take over and give their contribution.
Brief Autobiography, Skills and Expectations:
My name is Isida Byku and I was born in Tirana, Albania on April 12th 1984. I was raised in a loving and caring family that consisted of my parents, grandmother and older sister. Both of my parents went on to pursue graduate education, therefore, even though they were not wealthy, they always stressed the importance of education and nurtured my curiosity and desire to learn new things.
I consider myself fortunate for coming from an underdeveloped country for many reasons. It is because I know what poverty and limited resources mean (such as living without water or electricity) that I can appreciate things that others have always taken for granted. It is also due to the fact that I come from a poor and disadvantaged background that I learned that I had to work harder in order to achieve my goals, and that nothing is impossible if you work hard at it and believe in your dreams. Coming from an Eastern European country also enabled me to get exposed to many cultures of the neighboring countries and to learn several languages.
After living in the US for 5 years, I am happy to say that I feel like I belong amongst the American citizens just as much as I am able to identify with those who came here not long ago like myself. It is for this reason that I decided to get involved in a project where I can get to know many people from all kinds of backgrounds and I am confident that even if their culture is unknown to me, I will somehow be able to relate to them in a personal manner, perhaps just by expressing a genuine desire to learn more about them.
I completed my undergraduate studies in Dowling College (Oakdale, NY) and after taking a year off to continue volunteering as a research assistant and to be able to explore different medical schools and what they had to offer, I decided to come to DMS. One of the reasons why I chose DMS is because I felt that many of the students, faculty and workers are committed to effecting positive change now, instead of waiting until
later; and that they are proactively involved with the community in which they live.
What I expect from this project is personal fulfillment (which from my experiences so far has only been achieved by knowing that I contributed in some way to someone else's well-being). I also expect to see results in terms of a growth in interest and involvement on the part of the high school students. Lastly, given that I took over this project from last-year's proponents, I am very hopeful that this project will ensue in the upcoming years and hopefully become a tradition for future medical school classes.
My motivation
As a Dartmouth Medical School student, and a member of the Urban Health Scholars Program at DMS, I strongly believe that one needs to find ways to give back to the community in every chance they get. Also, having come from a third-world country and therefore, a disadvantaged background, I feel that I can serve as an actual example of succeeding despite the odds being not in my favor. My motivation for getting involved with this project is my strong desire to help students who are in a position that I was in not too long ago by providing them with some of the resources and opportunities that they need. I am fluent in several languages (Albanian, Turkish, Italian, German, and English) and am currently taking Spanish and Bulgarian classes. I have also had first-hand exposure to the cultures of these countries (where I have visited and/or lived). I am hoping that my ability to speak the languages and be knowledgeable about the cultural backgrounds that many of the students come from will be useful in approaching them in a more efficient way and in helping them cross the barriers that they may feel like they stand behind.
Conclusions
I believe that the above described project agenda will provide a solid framework around which we will expand the activities that we plan. I also believe that it will enable us to strengthen our connections and communication with the students and guidance counselors and therefore, help us contribute in a way that is tailored to their needs. I hope that by providing exposure to the health care professions to these young students we can paint a realistic picture of what it is like to pursue a career in the field, and most importantly I hope that we can convey the very important message that despite all the hardships, being a health care professional is a very rewarding and gratifying experience. It is a source of inspiration and happiness for those who are passionate about it, and furthermore it is a great way to contribute to the betterment of society and ourselves by helping one person at a time.
As the name of the project suggests, "Career Planning and Mentorship Program to Promote, Encourage, and Guide Inner City Adolescents into Health Care Professions" will aim at organizing events with the purpose of exposing students who come from minorities or underserved population groups to the health care professions; establishing strong ties to the Manchester Central High School community in order to ensure continuation of the project in future years; and finally, working in a consistent manner with the targeted group and getting to know them closely so we can follow up with them and help them in more concrete ways. By accomplishing the goals of this program on the smaller scale, we will hopefully have achieved a bigger goal altogether: that of contributing to the life path of underprivileged high school students aspiring to become future qualified health care professionals, for whom our communities across the country have and will continue to have much need.
References:
Joseph F. O'Donnell, MD
Senior Advising Dean
Office of Student & Multicultural Affairs
Dartmouth Medical School
Remsen Building, Room 333
Hanover, New Hamphire 03755
Telephone: 603-650-1755
Email: Joseph.ODonnell@dartmouth.edu
Shawn M. O'Leary
Director of Multicultural Affairs
Office of Student & Multicultural Affairs
Dartmouth Medical School
Remsen Building, Room 333
Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
Telephone: 603-650-1553
Email: Shawn.OLeary@dartmouth.edu