Between summer 2023 to fall 2024, Future Focused Education (FFE) placed 106 interns in the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) system under the guidance of 78 healthcare mentors. Interns were primarily identified as female (88%) and Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano, or Mexican only (68%). FFE’s paid internship model creates equitable pathways for young people—especially those historically underrepresented—to enter and shape the healthcare field.
Apex embraced FFE’s commitment to youth-led solutions, applying our equity-centered approach to elevate diverse voices—especially those most impacted by the work. Using developmental evaluation, we adapted in real time and applied the Results-Based Accountability™ framework: How much did we do? How well did we do it? Is anyone better off?
We found that interns valued opportunities for mentorship, professional development, and exposure to healthcare careers. Healthcare mentors reported high satisfaction, and UNMH identified opportunities to further engage interns in diverse hospital roles beyond patient care. FFE’s values align closely with Apex’s, making collaboration seamless. We built on our strong foundation of shared learning, evolving mental models, and deep partnership.
The work included moments to pause, reflect, and adapt—strengthening our ability to deliver meaningful insights. Throughout our evaluation, we defined the populations we studied and embraced the power of visual storytelling to highlight impact. The X3 UNMH Internship Evaluation Report tells a remarkable story. Click below for the full deliverable.