The United States is in the midst of a critical physician and nurse shortage, affecting how healthcare is being provided to meet the needs of our population. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the demand for primary and specialty care physicians will exceed supply by a range of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians by 2034. The medical field faces further obstacles with an impending nursing crisis. According to the national Council of State Boards of Nursing, approximately 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce since 2020 due to stress, burnout, and retirement. Unfortunately, an additional 610,000 nurses reported an intent to leave the workforce by 2027.

The physician and nurse shortage in the United States will not be rectified if we do not encourage and support more of our high school students to explore the healthcare field as a career.

I am a clinical urologist with administrative responsibilities for a major healthcare system in New York.

I have been presenting varied medical topics to high school students since 2017 with the Mini Medical College program. The program's objective is to bring medical school to high school junior and senior students. It is available for students of all racial, and economic backgrounds. I do not accept any form of renumeration from the schools or students. The program is completely self-funded, which avoids public funding concerns, and facilitates integration into high schools.

The program aims to challenge the students, increase........

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