1. Teaching foundational language equity concepts in the pre-clinical curriculum
- Author
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Maria Gabriela Valle Coto, Reniell X. Iñiguez, Marina A. Lentskevich, Syeda Akila Ally, Julia F. Farfan, Yoon Soo Park, Ananya G. Gangopadhyaya, and Pilar Ortega
- Subjects
Language equity ,Undergraduate medical education ,Language-appropriate care ,Health equity ,Non-English language preference ,Limited English proficiency ,Special aspects of education ,LC8-6691 ,Medicine - Abstract
Abstract Background Despite the prevalence of non-English languages in the US population, existing medical training to teach communication with linguistically diverse communities is limited to electives or solely focuses on medical interpreting. Language-appropriate communication skills are seldom comprehensively integrated in medical education. This study describes the development and evaluation of an intervention to teach foundational language equity concepts. Methods The authors implemented a pre-clinical language equity course at three medical school campuses between August 2020 and March 2022. Sessions focused on the impact of language in health, physician language proficiency standards, and working with medical interpreters. The study sought to (1) understand students’ language skills and prior clinical experiences with patients with non-English language preference and (2) evaluate the curriculum’s impact. Students self-reported their language skills and experiences as part of a voluntary pre-questionnaire. Pre and post-questionnaires evaluated knowledge, attitudes, and intent to apply language equity concepts. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests were used to examine trends; themes were identified from free-text responses. Results Overall, 301 students completed the course, 252 (83%) completed at least one questionnaire; for each session, between 35% and 46% of learners completed both pre and post-questionnaires. Three quarters (189/252) reported non-English languages. Over half (138/252) reported previous non-English language patient care, and 28% (62/224) had served as ad hoc (untrained) interpreters. Only two students (
- Published
- 2024
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