Latine En Medicine: La Fuerza Within Empowering Latine Women in Finding Their Strength to Persist on Their Pathway Toward Their Medical Degree Dreams

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) conducts annual demographic data collection for all medical school applicants and matriculants, revealing a concerning trend of underrepresentation of minority groups. Among these, the data from 2018 to 2023 showed a low underrepresentation of Latine women, with only a 3% representation among those who applied and matriculated into medical school. This low representation serves as an indicator that Latine women are encountering challenges during their premedical education journey, requiring the need for an action research study to investigate and develop an intervention to help the issue. The action research study is aimed at understanding and supporting the attrition of Latine women in their premedical education journey. The study employed a mixed methods approach, in understanding societal, academic, and cultural barriers that often limits their progress. Reoccurring themes of: family, motivation, advising, confidence, and mentorship led to the development of an intervention to fill the gaps these themes represent. Latine en Medicine: La Fuerza Within ten-week mentorship was designed to equip participants with essential premedical education resources and interpersonal skill development, helping them build confidence and empowerment to persist in their premedical education journey. The program aimed to address the gaps identified within the recurring themes and provide tailored support to ease the barriers faced by Latine women. Feedback from participants demonstrated the reflective impact of the intervention. Participants reported an increase in familial support, a heightened sense of connection to their premedical education journey, and improved self-confidence. In conclusion, this action research study showcases the importance of understanding and addressing the challenges faced by Latine women on their premedical education journey. The intervention offers an approach to bridge the gaps identified in this study and supporting inclusivity, empowerment, and increased representation of Latine women in the premedical education journey. This intervention represents a helpful step towards supporting the important cause of an equitable and diverse healthcare workforce.