SANDY, Utah (ABC4) — Intermountain Health and Black Physicians of Utah collaborated for Medicine Immersion Day on Saturday, Sept. 16.

The community event worked to benefit and provide resources to underrepresented minorities and Utah students to get them excited about potential careers in healthcare, according to Intermountain Health.

This is the second annual Medicine Immersion Day, reportedly providing the opportunity for high school juniors, seniors, and college students pursing careers in medicine to gain insight into various medical specialties from local physicians.

Scott Robertson, administrator of Intermountain Alta View Hospital, said he hoped Medicine Immersion Day inspired young Black students to consider careers in medicine.

“Since education and vocation are such important social determinants of health, inspiring youth in all of our communities to consider a career in medicine goes a long way toward fulfilling our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible,” Robertson said.

A recent report titled “In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health-Care Workforce” reportedly found that increasing ethnic and racial diversity among health professionals is vital, as diversity is reportedly associated with improved access to care for racial and ethnic minority patients, greater patient choice and satisfaction, and better educational experiences for health professions-based students, among other benefits, according to Intermountain Health.

The event, held at Intermountain Alta View Hospital, reportedly encompassed various workshops, panels, and more to fully immerse students into a day in the life of a physician.

Students were able to experience breakout groups such as labor and delivery, scrubbing in at an operating room, learning about anesthesia, and participating in a hands-on simulation where they learned to perform sutures, according to Intermountain Health.

Richard Ferguson, president and founder of Black Physicians of Utah, said he strongly believes in the saying “If you can see it, you can be it.”

“Mentorship by Black physicians and other providers of color gives guidance and opportunities to marginalized groups, like African Americans in Utah, who are often overlooked or dismissed, he said. “I would not be where I am today if it were not for the mentors who fostered my interests in science and medicine at an early age.”

Medicine Immersion Day will continue to evolve as an annual event and be a resource to students of color throughout Utah, according to Intermountain Health.