What is the Medi-Gators Mentorship Program?
Our mentorship program intends to connect undergraduates, health professional students (medical, PA, nursing, dental, etc.), and healthcare professionals from similar backgrounds and with similar interests. The goal of this program is to contribute to a more successful and equitable health career pipeline by bringing students and professionals together to support one another and to provide guidance, foster insight, encourage growth, and empower.
Who is in a Mentorship Group?
1 healthcare professional
1 health professional student pursuing a similar career
2-3 undergraduate students interested in the careers of the professional and the student
Example: 1 neurologist, 1 medical student interested in neurology, 2-3 undergraduate students interested in neurology
Monthly Meetings
The program will take place over 6 months, with an estimated time commitment of 3-4 hours per month. Our team will provide your group with monthly discussion topics to initiate intentional conversation. Your group will be expected to discuss these topics in addition to planning and executing your project (as detailed below).
Monthly meeting times will be coordinated by your group based on availability and your intended schedule will be shared with the Medi-Gators team to help us follow-up with you. We highly recommend and encourage you to attend your monthly meetings in-person to foster stronger relationships; however, you can meet via zoom if needed. Students will be asked to fill out brief minutes (< 5mins) to record the contents of the meeting for Medi-Gators staff review.
Mentorship Program Structure
To facilitate relationships among group members and give everyone an opportunity to pursue a professional development project, we are asking each group to work toward solving a problem related to any aspect of healthcare, health education, or healthcare access. You do not need to cure cancer or end all health disparities (though, be our guest!). Here are some suggestions for possible projects: Work on a research project guided by your healthcare professional; Organize a community outreach event; Develop a curriculum or session to educate students on a topic of interest; Identify a patient care issue in a UF health facility and create a solution; Create a pamphlet to simplify health information for patient understanding; Start an initiative to improve healthcare access for an under-served population