Cultivating the Primary Care Pipeline: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from an Extracurricular Program for Medical Students

Primary care shortages are especially acute in underserved communities, and student interest in these careers is limited. This brief report evaluates a six-month extracurricular Primary Care Scholars Program that aims to address this gap. Thirty first-, second-, and third-year students interested in primary care enrolled. Activities were curriculum sessions with a scholarly project, optional primary care mentoring, and service in underserved settings. A logic model and a mixed-methods post-program survey guided evaluation. Ratings are perceived self-reports. Most participants reported increased interest in a primary care residency (96.7%, N = 29) and in underserved practice (83.3%, N = 25) “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” and agreed that their skills in primary care (96.7%, N = 29) and underserved care (86.7%, N = 26) increased. Nearly all judged the program was worth their time (93.3% “a great deal,” N = 28). Mentoring and service were rated higher than the scholarly project. Inductive thematic analysis of open-ended comments yielded four themes: (1) authentic contact with clinicians, patients, and near-peers made primary care tangible; (2) the program filled perceived gaps in the required curriculum; (3) a learning-oriented, low-stakes environment built confidence; and (4) accessibility and logistics shaped participants’ ability to engage. Each theme encompassed subthemes that were translated into practical lessons for educators. The lessons learned may inform programs aiming to address similar workforce gaps.