AMO’s mission is to make clinical learning in the U.S. accessible to medical trainees around the globe. As National Hispanic Heritage Month wraps up, we are called to both reflect on and assess our progress in this.
Partnerships to Diversify
Presently, we are building out processes to scale clinical training for medical schools around the world. Educational partnerships help ensure students participate in experiences that meet school requirements. It also makes financing these experiences possible for a wider audience. In August, we welcomed our first group of medical students through our partnership with Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine.
This group, comprised of six students, is completing core and elective clinical experiences at Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago, an ACGME residency site. While the students are working to fulfill credit requirements, UAG and AMO’s collaboration makes it possible for them to have focused experiences in diverse medical specialties. Their rotations are in emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, neurology, orthopedic surgery, pathology, and psychiatry.
Learning Experiences That Open Doors
The students, who will complete their electives this December, will have a total of five months of clinical experience. They will return home in winter with enhanced medical skills and knowledge. That’s not all, though; they will also return home with new professional connections. These contacts have the potential to serve as mentors in the future.
As one of the most highly regarded medical schools in Latin America, UAG has given its students the ability to become healthcare professionals in not just Latin America The clinical experiences that UAG students complete through AMO allow them to gain the letters of recommendation from U.S. physicians that are required to apply for U.S. medical residency. UAG students who complete these experiences are expanding their options for the future.
Perspectives on Inclusive Care
Recently, the AMO team visited Saint Anthony Hospital to check in on the student’s rotating there. Each of them seemed to be enjoying their time. When it came to which aspects of the experiences they liked best, multiple students mentioned the hands-on nature of the experience and received one-on-one instruction from precepting physicians.
Priscilla, a UAG student currently participating in a pathology experience, is a first-generation Mexican American and the first in her family to attend college. Her motivation to study medicine came from a desire to impact others and improve the fairness of healthcare positively.
“Diversity is important in clinical training. Unprejudiced healthcare should be a basic fundamental right,” says Priscilla.
She wants to make headway in this effort by pursuing a specialization in forensic pathology.
At present, AMO offers clinical experiences at more than 200 sites within the U.S. The diverse program locations allow visitors to gain exposure to rural, urban, and suburban medical practices in culturally diverse communities. These details are essential, especially for medical students looking to increase representation, diversity, and healthcare equality.
Christopher, another UAG student, also spoke to this point, praising his clinical experience for taking place at a community-focused hospital within a city as culturally diverse as Chicago.
“AMO has opened the door for so many IMGs to gain clinical experiences in different places. These experiences are important as they provide a base for education and how medicine is practiced,” says Christopher.
AMO is thrilled to be connected with an institution whose students reflect our company’s mission and celebrate the essence of Hispanic Heritage Month through their medical pursuits. We look forward to the possibility of hosting more groups of UAG students in the future.
Diversify your medical education with a clinical experience.
Leave A Comment