Longitudinal Analysis of Medical Schools’ Enrollees and Their Graduates’ Preparedness to Work With Individuals From Different Backgrounds

• In Event: Tracking the Role of Professions Education in Stimulating Societal Benefits

Abstract

To reduce health disparities and promote equal opportunities for all communities to thrive, medical schools seek to enroll student cohorts that bring varied abilities, backgrounds, and perspectives to the learning environment. Among 998 cohorts of matriculants from 145 US MD-granting medical schools over a 7-year period, this study examined the relationship between characteristics of medical school cohorts and their self-assessed skills at graduation to work with individuals from different backgrounds. Among all schools, those that matriculated student cohorts with a broader range of backgrounds had higher average levels of self-assessed skills at graduation. On average, an increase over time in the range of matriculant cohort backgrounds was associated with an increase in higher average levels of self-assessed skills at graduation.

Authors

• Douglas Grbic, Association of American Medical Colleges

• Mytien Nguyen, Yale University

• Geoffrey Young, Association of American Medical Colleges

• Dorothy Andriole, Association of American Medical Colleges