BioPrep. A premedical program for rural high school students

Abstract

To address physician maldistribution in Alabama and the Southeast region, The University of Alabama established the Biomedical Sciences Preparation Program (BioPrep) in five rural high schools. Its purpose is to help rural, disadvantaged high school students develop academically and socially so that they will be motivated and able to enroll in and progress successfully through college, specifically in pre-health professional curricula. It aims to develop their desire to return eventually to rural areas of Alabama as professionals. Project students are compared with two control groups. Performance on the American College Testing Program college entrance examination revealed significantly higher achievement by the project students. The project students also chose professional careers earlier and more frequently than matched high school students not receiving this special program, but similar to medical students and permedical students. The implications of the project for increasing the size of the rural, disadvantaged student applicant pool are discussed.