MENTORING STUDENTS IN A PRE-MEDICAL CAREER: A MIXED-METHODS EDUCATIONAL CASE STUDY UTILIZING THE KIRKPATRICK MODEL OF EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION

Abstract

The evaluation and impact of mentorship in pre-medical education have long been hypothesized as distinct pillars of student success in healthcare. However, student perceptions and long-term outcomes are not yet fully understood, requiring rigorous and lengthy examination to truly determine effectiveness. Despite this gap, numerous current publications showcase positive shifts in student behavior and attitudes toward pursuing medical careers following the establishment of student-mentor relationships. We present a mixed-methods case study that evaluates student perceptions and tracks outcomes following a medical career exposure event. Out of 319 total attendees, a convenience sample of 85 students (26.6%) completed a comprehensive post-event evaluation measuring satisfaction and career intent. Due to institutional privacy restrictions preventing longitudinal tracking via the registrar database for the entire cohort, long-term career tracking was restricted to a subset of confirmed respondents (n = 2-5) to provide a descriptive proof-of-concept for pipeline retention.