Seniors at Vermont's Essex High School’s STEM Academy have the opportunity to delve into research and get an inside look at the life of a medical student through a partnership with the Med Mentors Student Interest Group. The six medical students serving as mentors this year have been meeting with their mentees via Skype to talk about their research project, which is focused on a disease of their choice. STEM Academy Director Lea Ann Smith says students who elect to join the academy are interested in medicine, science and technology, and are looking for ways to prepare for the college application process and further develop their skills. “It’s an opportunity to be a more well-rounded scientist,” she says, “and talk with people who’ve done this work.”

As the mentors and mentees dig into the research, they also get to know each other and swap stories about science and medicine. Ethan Harlow ’18, one of the SIG’s student organizers, says medical students gain just as much from the partnership as their mentees, particularly as they start preparing for residency. “This is helping us get comfortable with teaching, and the mentors have thrived in this role,” he says. For Kristen Bartlett ’19, Med Mentors is an opportunity to pass on some of the knowledge she’s accumulated.  “As many of us can appreciate, the journey to medical school can be overwhelming, so I would like to aid in navigating and encouraging my mentee’s progression in any way I can,” she says.

Med Mentors also help coach their mentees through how to communicate science to different audiences by helping to guide them through preparing a presentation to a group of peers, teachers, and other staff.  Other opportunities offered by the Med Mentors SIG: Students shadow a physician at the UVM Medical Center, and visit the College of Medicine in the spring as part of a larger county-wide medical exploration day. And Med Mentors have been expanding their reach to different high schools by hosting panel discussions about the college application process, college life, and the journey to med school.