Does DMU's training prepare students to confidently engage with diverse patients?
Work Type
Poster
Abstract
Topic
Cultural Education for Medical Professional Student
Project Objectives
Determine if current cultural training for students at DMU adequately prepares students to feel confident in encounters with patients of diverse backgrounds.
Identify areas of cultural training that are lacking and what could be improved to increase comfortability and confidence in encounters with patients of diverse backgrounds.
Significance & Highlighting the Gap
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommended that medical institutions train their students in cultural competence.1 However, there is a systemic neglect of cultural influences on health and healthcare, which leads to a limited awareness of social and cultural determinants of health and decreases opportunities to address disparities.2 Although there is a need for and interest in incorporating cultural humility in medical education, its elements can be challenging to teach, and it still has not been widely adopted in the medical curriculum.3 Institutions that have not fully integrated cultural competence training in their curriculum may not know the most effective way to incorporate it into an already demanding curriculum.4
The Why
13.8% of US residents and 5.58% of Iowa residents are foreign-born 12.5% of the US population and 11.% of Iowa population live below the poverty line 5 % of Iowa residents are uninsured.5
Access to quality care is extremely important. Healthcare disparities are faced by many populations, and it can be hard to address them if we do not understand them. Medical students entering the medical field will care for patients of diverse backgrounds and it is important that they feel confident and comfortable in their ability to do so by the time they graduate.
Relevance
Patient care: Providing patient centered care with compassion and respect.
Professionalism: Includes respect, compassion, integrity, sensitivity, reflection, recognition of biases, and responsiveness to patient culture and abilities.
Communication: Effective communication requires an understanding of patients patient's backgrounds, perspectives, goals, and beliefs influencing care as well as how to navigate challenges that may arise including language barriers or cultural differences.
Publication Date
5-13-2026
Citation Information
Eiden, Emily, "Does DMU's training prepare students to confidently engage with diverse patients?" (2026). Student Works Physician Assistant. 49.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/stu_pa/49
