Abstract
Post-baccalaureate programs are increasingly common and have demonstrated success in preparing students for graduate programs. Most post-baccalaureate programs have a pre-medical focus, and the few existing clinical psychology-focused programs are centered on coursework, situated within a university, costly to students, and/or geared towards career change. The post-baccalaureate program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital was created in 2017 and is uniquely positioned within a pediatric academic medical center. The program provides research skill training, mentorship, professional development, and graduate school preparation to employed clinical research coordinators. An early program assessment, based on self-reports, revealed the program attracts diverse participants that are primarily interested in pediatric or child psychology and rate themselves as “somewhat confident” in their current research skills. This manuscript summarizes the three phases of development and key components of the post-baccalaureate program, which can serve as a model to other medical centers interested in developing training programs for research staff, particularly underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Not applicable.
Code Availability
Not applicable.
References
American Psychological Association. (2011). Number of applications, acceptances, enrollments, and degrees awarded in U.S. APA-accredited PhD programs: 2009–10. American Psychological Association: APA Center for Workforce Studies.
American Psychological Association. (2017). Summary report, graduate study in psychology 2017: Student demographics.
American Psychological Assosciation. (2020). Commission of accreditation 2020 annual report online summary data: Doctoral Programs. Retrieved from American Psychological Assosciation
Andriole, D. A., & Jeffe, D. B. (2011). Characteristics of medical school matriculants who participated in postbaccalaureate premedical programs. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 86(2), 201–210. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182045076
Andriole, D. A., McDougle, L., Bardo, H. R., Lipscomb, W. D., Metz, A. M., & Jeffe, D. B. (2015). Postbaccalaureate premedical programs to promote physician-workforce diversity. Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity: Research, Education and Policy, 8(1), 1036–1048.
Association of American Medical Colleges. (2021). Considering a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program. Medical Student Well-Being. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://students-residents.aamc.org/medical-student-well-being/considering-postbaccalaureate-premedical-program
Association for Psychological Science. (2022). APSSC Mentorship Program. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/members/apssc/mentorship_program
Calhoun, C. D. (2013). Before you apply to graduate programs in psychology: Knowing when you’re ready and gaining post-baccalaureate experiences. Springer.
Cochran, G. (2018). Identifying barriers to applying to graduate physics programs, an intersectional approach. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018APS..DMPK08003C
Estrada, M., Burnett, M., Campbell, A. G., Campbell, P. B., Denetclaw, W. F., Gutiérrez, C. G., Hurtado, S., John, G. H., Matsui, J., McGee, R., Okpodu, C. M., & Zavala, M. (2016). Improving underrepresented minority student persistence in STEM. CBE Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-01-0038
Furquim, F., Glasener, K. M., Oster, M., McCall, B. P., & DesJardins, S. L. (2017). Navigating the financial aid process: Borrowing Outcomes among first-generation and non-first-generation students. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 671(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716217698119
Giordani, B., Edwards, A. S., Segal, S. S., Gillum, L. H., Lindsay, A., & Johnson, N. (2001). Effectiveness of a formal post-baccalaureate pre-medicine program for underrepresented minority students. Academic Medicine, 76(8), 844–848.
Golding, J., & Lippert, A. (2018). Applying to clinical PhD psychology programs: How many applications to send? Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/careers-in-psych/201807/applying-clinical-phd-psychology-programs
Grumbach, K., & Chen, E. (2006). Effectiveness of University of California Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs in increasing medical school matriculation for minority and disadvantaged students. JAMA, 296(9), 1079–1085. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.296.9.1079
Hall, J. D., Harrell, J. R., Cohen, K. W., Miller, V. L., Phelps, P. V., & Cook, J. G. (2016). Preparing postbaccalaureates for entry and success in biomedical PhD programs. CBE Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-01-0054
Knowles, M. S. (1978). Andragogy: Adult learning theory in perspective. Community College Review, 5(3), 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/009155217800500302
Kosarek, C. (2021). 4 Myths About Postbaccalaureate Premed Programs. U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from U.S. News and World Report website: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-school-admissions-doctor/articles/2018-02-20/3-myths-about-postbaccalaureate-medical-programs#:~:text=4%20Myths%20About%20Postbaccalaureate%20Premed%20Programs%20These%20programs
Kosoko-Lasaki, O., Sonnino, R. E., & Voytko, M. L. (2006). Mentoring for women and underrepresented minority faculty and students: Experience at two institutions of higher education. Journal of the National Medical Association, 98(9), 1449–1459.
Lupton, K., Vercammen-Grandjean, C., Forkin, J., Wilson, E., & Grumbach, K. (2012). Specialty choice and practice location of physician alumni of University of California Premedical Postbaccalaureate Programs. Academic Medicine, 87(1), 115–120. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e31823a907f
McDougle, L., Way, D. P., Lee, W. K., Morfin, J. A., Mavis, B. E., Matthews, D. A., Latham-Sadler, B. A., & Clinchot, D. M. (2015). A national long-term outcomes evaluation of U.S. premedical postbaccalaureate programs designed to promote health care access and workforce diversity. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 26(3), 631–647. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2015.0088
Miller, A. N., & Orsillo, S. M. (2020). Values, acceptance, and belongingess in graduate school: Perspectives from underrepresented minority students. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.01.002
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. (2021). Post-baccalaureate reserach training. Retrieved July 6, 2021, from https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/postbaccalaureate-research-training
National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (2021). Postbaccalaureate research education program (PREP) (R25). Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.nigms.nih.gov/training/PREP/
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. (2022). NIMHD research diversity supplement application guidelines
Nguyen, J., & Mills, S. (2014). Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Health Psychology. Retrieved from American Psychological Association Division 38: https://societyforhealthpsychology.org/articles/increasing-racial-and-ethnic-diversity-in-health-psychology-lessons-learned-from-two-expert-panel-discussions-held-by-division-38/
Northwestern University. (2021). What does it take to get into graduate school in clinical psychology? Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://psychology.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/graduate-studies/areas-of-specialization/considering-clinical-psychology/what-does-it-take.html
Opsahl, A. G., & Townsend, C. (2021). Mentoring to engage diverse undergraduate nursing students in honors research. Nursing Forum, 56(1), 19–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12503
Pate, W. E. I. (2000). 1999–2000: Analyses of Data from Graduate Study in Psychology. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from Center for Workforce Studies: https://www.apa.org/workforce/publications/grad-00
Potter, D., Jayne, D., & Britt, S. (2017). Financial anxiety of first generation college students. Consumer Interests Annual, 63, 1.
Prinstein, M. (2021). Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology. Application Guide. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mitch Prinstein. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf
Ramirez, E. (2011). “No One Taught Me the Steps”: Latinos’ experiences applying to graduate school. Journal of Latinos and Education, 10(3), 204–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2011.581105
The Association of American Medical Colleges. (2021). Is a post-bacc program right for me? Seven benefits to consider. Retrieved from https://students-residents.aamc.org/choosing-medical-career/post-bacc-program-right-me-seven-benefits-consider
U.S. Department of Education. (2021). Ronald E. McNair postbaccalaureate achievement program. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/index.html
Windchief, S. (2019). Providing access, serving programs, and strengthening inclusiveness: A tripartite model for graduate schools. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 21, 64–80.
Zinger, J. (2020, March). Psychology post-baccalaureate programs. Psychology Student Network. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2020/03/post-baccalaureate-programs
Funding
The authors did not receive funding from any organization.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
LN, CC, and CG contributed to conception and design; CT and NM were involved in data collection; CT and LN were involved in data analysis and interpretation. CT, NM, and LN drafted the initial manuscript. All authors revised the manuscript, approved the final version and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Authors Charleen I. Theroux, Noelle C. Marousis, Canice E. Crerand, Cynthia A. Gerhardt, and Leena Nahata have no competing interests to declare related to this manuscript.
Ethical Approval
Not applicable.
Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
Consent for Publication
Not applicable.
Human and Animal Rights
This article does not involve any studies being carried out on humans and animals.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Theroux, C.I., Marousis, N.C., Crerand, C.E. et al. Implementation of a Post-Baccalaureate Program at a Pediatric Academic Medical Center: A Pathway to Graduate School. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 30, 72–79 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-022-09879-4
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-022-09879-4