Intermountain and Black Physicians of Utah Group Host First Medicine Immersion Day to Inspire Students of Color to Consider Careers in Medicine

Intermountain Healthcare and Black Physicians of Utah collaborated for the first ever Medicine Immersion Day, a mentorship event to benefit students of color and inspire them to consider future careers in science and medicine.

The Medicine Immersion Day was hosted at Alta View Hospital in Sandy and provided the opportunity for Black high school seniors and college students pursuing careers in medicine to gain mentorship from doctors in various specialties within the community.

“Alta View Hospital is proud to partner with Black Physicians of Utah. Our hope is that this Immersive Medicine Day will inspire young students of color to consider careers in medicine,” said Scott Roberson, Administrator of Alta View Hospital. “Since education and vocation are such important social determinants of health, inspiring Black youth to consider a career in medicine goes a long way toward fulfilling our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible.”

This full-day event included workshops, panels, and more, to fully immerse the students into a day in the life of a physician. 

Students had opportunities to participate in breakout groups where they were able to experience specialties, such as labor and delivery, visit an operating room and simulate scrubbing into surgery, and learn about its procedures and anesthesia, as well as a hands-on simulation where they learned to draw blood. 

These opportunities allowed them to better understand how physicians of color found their paths in medicine, as well as ask for questions and counsel.

“I strongly believe in the saying ‘If you can see it, you can be it’,” said Richard Ferguson, MD, chief medical officer for Health Choice Utah. “Mentorship by Black and allied providers of color gives guidance and opportunities to groups like African-Americans in Utah. I would not be where I am today if it were not for the mentors that fostered my interests in science and medicine at an early age.”

Medicine Immersion Day will continue to evolve as an annual event and be of a resource to young Black students in the community.

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