title: Theoretical and conceptual framework for a high school pathways to pharmacy program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether participation in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy (UIC-COP) Pathways to Pharmacy, an early urban pipeline program, motivated underrepresented minority students to pursue a prepharmacy curriculum in college and choose pharmacy as a career.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a 4-year period, underrepresented minority high school students participated in a comprehensive 6-week program that included 3 weeks of prepharmacy curriculum and intensive socialization and 3 weeks working as a pharmacy technician in a chain pharmacy. The High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) was administered 3 times to 120 program participants from 2005-2008, with 4 open-ended questions added to the pretest, 3 open-ended questions added to the test administered at the midpoint of the program, and 7 open-ended questions added to the posttest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After completing the program, 88 (75%) of the 120 students enrolled in the college's prepharmacy curriculum and planned to pursue a career in pharmacy, 10 (8%) were not interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy, and 20 (17%) were undecided, compared to the pretest data which showed that 40 (33%) were interested in a career in pharmacy, and 80 (67%) were undecided (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participation in a Pathways to Pharmacy program grounded in both a theoretical and conceptual socialization model framework increased the number of underrepresented minority students in the pipeline to pharmacy schools.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Il 60612, USA. awe@uic.edu
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Awé
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D002321:Career Choice; D002641:Chicago; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D010379:Peer Group; D010560:Personnel Selection; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists; D010604:Pharmacy; D012574:Schools; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012951:Socialization