A recent article titled “Doctor for a Day: The Impact of a Health Professions Enrichment Program on Self-Efficacy”, published in Frontiers in Medicine, spotlights the measurable impact of Doctor for a Day (DFAD), a hands-on health professions program run out of the UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity. The program is designed to inspire and encourage educationally and economically under resourced students to consider careers in medicine and healthcare.
Authored by Celeste Coler, Kareena Patel, A. J. Balatico, Kumhee Ro, Joshua Villarreal, Nora Coronado, and Estell Williams, the study evaluates feedback from nearly 1,000 K–12 students who participated in DFAD events between 2017 and 2023. Students completed anonymous surveys after attending, and the results show a clear increase in self-confidence and interest in healthcare careers, especially among high school students. Many reported a stronger belief in their ability to go to college and pursue a future in medicine.
Run by students, staff, and faculty from the UW School of Medicine, DFAD events include hands-on stations such as physical exam skills, patient interviewing techniques, and suturing. These interactive experiences help students better understand what it takes to become a healthcare professional and imagine themselves in that role.
Open to all students, the program focuses on early exposure because research shows that without intervention in elementary school, many students may lose interest in science and math before reaching high school. DFAD aims to change that trajectory by providing early socialization, achievement experiences, and mentorship.
As the study shows, this approach works. Students gain not just skills but a clearer sense of what is possible for them in school, in their future careers, and in their lives.
