The pre-medical experience plays a major role in the medical school that a student may attend and, by extension, the role that that student will someday play in the field of medicine (Lin et al, 2013). The program will address issues that pre-medical students face and will give practical intervention and insight on ways to aid in combating them by providing students with skills that are important for growth and professional development prior to beginning medical school (Salek, 2021). In the midst of the overwhelming pre-medical journey, many students are either left to their own devices, get discouraged by misinformation or they don't have influences (i.e., current medical students or graduates) that can mentor them, or at the very least aid in resolving confusion and basic concerns.

Connecting the design of the program content to student development theory is important when considering how the information best serves the pre-medical student population throughout learning and their transitional periods. Student development theories that are relevant to the content of the pre-medical success program and its philosophy are the Humanistic-Existential Theory and Super's Theory of Career Development.

Humanistic-Existential Theory emphasizes the capacity that individuals have to be self-aware on a level where they can make their own choices and desicions. This theory relates to the design of the program because attendees would have already made a conscious decision to pursue a career in medicine and take the necessary steps toward being a successful student, in efforts of being admitted into medical school. Attendance is voluntary so partipants would, therefore, be aware of the importance of the workshop and make the personal decision to be there.

Donald Super's Theory of Career Development looks into the steps involved in career development: self-knowledge, exploration, decision-making, and action. Establishing career development, according to this theory, would require students to understand their interests, skills, and values; taking that into consideration, some attendees may be participating in the workshop as a part if their career exploration process as they are seeking to solidify their career direction. Super's theory also relates to the interventional program, and attendees, because participation in the program is taking "action" toward a career as a physician.

When looking into how the content of the designed program relates to theory, the following were taken into consideration:

• Relevance of intended information

• Understanding student behaviors and interactions

• Providing the appropriate level of resources and support (avoiding focusing on content that the student population is already aware of and well-versed on)

• Designing a learning experience that is relevant to the student population

• Providing and encouraging opportunities for student engagement

The workshop is designed to be intentional about the information shared with students in efforts of answering many of the questions and concerns that pre-medical students frequently have. The success workshop is designed to be highly informational and interactive to ensure that students are able to walk away with tangible resources and gain insight via firsthand experiences that would be shared during the panel discussion portion. The goal is to make the session as engaging as possible without it having the essence of a lecture, therefore, stimulating more of an atmosphere of reflective thinking (Hufford, 2014).