Introducing Medmap: Your Healthcare Roadmap 🩺

Hi, my name is Ritu Marari.

I'm a freshman this year and I'm here to introduce medmap, an app we're building.

Ever since kindergarten, I've dreamed of going into the medical field and becoming a doctor.

But now that I'm a freshman in high school and my classes and activities are actually starting to matter for college, I have absolutely no idea what I need to do.

I have so many questions, like what classes should I take?

What clubs do I join?

What volunteering should I do?

How do I shadow a doctor?

So I ask around.

I ask older students, counselors, and do my own research.

But instead of finding a clear path, I end up with information that contradicts itself.

And suddenly my dream since kindergarten has become a source of anxiety.

Every class I take, every club I join, and every opportunity I might miss feels like it could affect my future.

Instead of being excited to pursue a medical career, I feel lost and confused.

And I know I'm not the only student who feels this way.

Students all over will give up on their dreams of medicine because the path seems too long, too hard, and too complicated.

And that's the problem.

Because America is facing a shortage of healthcare workers.

The association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of up to 86,000 thousand physicians by 2036.

And that's only physicians.

We also need EMTs, technicians, and so many more.

The future of the healthcare workforce starts with today's students.

But here's the good news.

Students want these careers.

In the National Society of High school scholars, a UH 2024 survey, 46% of Gen Z students said that medicine and healthcare is the field they're most interested in.

The interest is there.

What students need is a clear path.

But when students look at the path into healthcare, they see a giant maze of classes, applications, volunteering, shadowing, tests and requirements they are expected to figure out on their own.

And when the path seems too complicated, some students might decide that medicine just isn't for them.

So that's why we're building medmap.

Medmap is a student driven app that is designed to turn the confusing journey into the healthcare into a clear, personalized roadmap.

Starting in ninth grade.

So here's how it works.

Students enter where they live, what school they attend, and what healthcare career they're interested in.

From there, medmap will build a personal roadmap just for them.

Medmap will look at classes, clubs, activities that their school offers and shows which one fits their goals starting freshman year.

But medmap won't Just stop at the school based on where the student lives.

It will help them find volunteering at healthcare organizations, shadowing opportunities, summer programs, medical camps, and scholarship competitions that they might have never known existed.

And it will keep track of deadlines and next steps so students always know what to do next.

So what makes medmap different?

Students make key career decisions in high school, but most healthcare help programs focuses on medical students in college.

Medmap will start in ninth grade, and we're building it for your high school career.

We're building medmap.

I'm building medmap because I don't want my fear of not knowing what to do to stop me from pursuing my dream.

And I don't want other students to feel that way either.

Medmap isn't about making medicine easier.

It's about making the path clearer.

Imagine a world with medmap.

A freshman who dreams of becoming a doctor opens medmap and sees a clear starting point.

They know exactly what classes to take, where to volunteer, and exactly what to do next.

Now imagine thousands of students just like them who might have never considered health care.

But with medmap, they feel empowered and excited to pursue medicine instead of stressed and overwhelmed.

Because the future of healthcare doesn't start when someone walks into a medical school.

It starts with the student's dream.

We're building medmap to turn that dream into a future in medicine.

Thank you.

These are some of my sources.