Disciplining empathy: Differences in empathy with U.S. medical students by college major

2020 ◽  
pp. 136345932096705
Author(s):  
Lauren D. Olsen ◽  
Hana Gebremariam
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Medical School ◽  
American Medical ◽  
College Major ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Medical College ◽  
School Students ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Application Service ◽  
Medical Educators

Citing their students’ low levels of empathy, medical educators have scrambled to implement curricula with the hopes of buffering against the corrosive effects of biomedical and clinical experiences in medical school. The assumption undergirding these studies by social scientists and medical educators alike is that immersion in biomedical education and clinical experience erodes students’ empathic capacities, and that exposure to humanities and social sciences content will amend these losses. But we do not know if this assumption is correct. In this project, we empirically assess this assumption by utilizing a unique data set constructed from student applicant and survey data from the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). We test whether medical school students ( N = 8255) from the United States (U.S.) with different academic backgrounds represented by their college major have different levels of empathy, net of demographic control variables. We report two findings. First, we find that students who majored in humanities or interpretive social sciences disciplines have higher empathy scores than their peers who majored in the positivistic social sciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. Second, we find that the relationship between empathy and time in medical school is more nuanced than we would expect from the existing literature.

scholarly journals Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity: Evolution of Race and Ethnicity Considerations for the Cardiology Workforce in the United States of America From 1969 to 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman C. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Medical School ◽  
American Medical ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
School Students ◽  
Medical Academy

Abstract Since 1969, racial and ethnic preferences have existed throughout the American medical academy. The primary purpose has been to increase the number of blacks and Hispanics within the physician workforce as they were deemed to be “underrepresented in medicine.” To this day, the goal continues to be population parity or proportional representation. These affirmative action programs were traditionally voluntary, created and implemented at the state or institutional level, limited to the premedical and medical school stages, and intended to be temporary. Despite these efforts, numerical targets for underrepresented minorities set by the Association of American Medical Colleges have consistently fallen short. Failures have largely been attributable to the limited qualified applicant pool and legal challenges to the use of race and ethnicity in admissions to institutions of higher education. In response, programs under the appellation of diversity, inclusion, and equity have recently been created to increase the number of blacks and Hispanics as medical school students, internal medicine trainees, cardiovascular disease trainees, and cardiovascular disease faculty. These new diversity programs are mandatory, created and implemented at the national level, imposed throughout all stages of academic medicine and cardiology, and intended to be permanent. The purpose of this white paper is to provide an overview of policies that have been created to impact the racial and ethnic composition of the cardiology workforce, to consider the evolution of racial and ethnic preferences in legal and medical spheres, to critically assess current paradigms, and to consider potential solutions to anticipated challenges.

STEM-Focused Career Courses and College Pipeline for Students with Learning Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 089590482110199
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Freeman ◽  
Michael A. Gottfried ◽  
Jay Stratte Plasman
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
High School Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Career And Technical ◽  
Nationally Representative

Recent educational policies in the United States have fostered the growth of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career-focused courses to support high school students’ persistence into these fields in college and beyond. As one key example, federal legislation has embedded new types of “applied STEM” (AS) courses into the career and technical education curriculum (CTE), which can help students persist in STEM through high school and college. Yet, little is known about the link between AS-CTE coursetaking and college STEM persistence for students with learning disabilities (LDs). Using a nationally representative data set, we found no evidence that earning more units of AS-CTE in high school influenced college enrollment patterns or major selection in non-AS STEM fields for students with LDs. That said, students with LDs who earned more units of AS-CTE in high school were more likely to seriously consider and ultimately declare AS-related STEM majors in college.

What if a college major isn’t enough? Cognitive skills and the relationship between US college majors and earnings

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 410-420
Author(s):  
Karly S. Ford ◽  
Junghee Choi ◽  
David P. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
College Major ◽  
The United States ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Data Set ◽  
College Majors ◽  
Labour Market Outcomes ◽  
The Relationship

Policy discussions in the United States on the link between college majors and earnings have under-appreciated the role of cognitive skills. This study uses the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, a unique data set that contains information on individual cognitive skills, college majors and earnings to investigate the relationships between them. The authors find that variation in numeracy and literacy skills is significantly associated with earnings for graduates of the same major. Also, there is an interactional effect between majors and cognitive skills to explain earnings. The findings shed light on the importance of considering cognitive skills when assessing the relationship between college majors and labour market outcomes.

scholarly journals Analysis of American Medical Students’ Knowledge of Physical Activity Recommendations

PRiMER ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candace A. Adedokun ◽  
Wesley G. Curles ◽  
Emily L. DeMaio ◽  
Irfan M. Asif
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
American Medical ◽  
Strength Training ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physical Activity Guidelines

Introduction: The benefits of physical activity (PA) are widely recognized; American medical schools have begun to emphasize PA, but the effectiveness of these changes is unclear. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of medical students enrolled in US osteopathic and allopathic medical schools between August 2019 and May 2020. All participants completed an electronic survey about PA instruction across the 4 years of medical school. Objective information including hours and format of PA instruction was collected. Subjectively, participants reported their relative comfort discussing various aspects of PA education with patients. Results: A total of 480 medical students completed the survey, representing 82 of the 192 US medical schools (69 allopathic, 13 osteopathic). Students are more comfortable discussing overall exercise benefits than exercise testing, exercise prescription, and exercise physiology (P<.0001). They also report more exposure to general PA guidelines related to overall PA duration than strength training (P<.0001). Students at allopathic and osteopathic schools reported similar outcomes regarding PA education, while students with class sizes under 200 reported increased familiarity with National Physical Activity Guidelines regarding PA duration (P<.0001) and strength training (P=.01).  Conclusion: Despite recent efforts to improve PA education in medical school, students feel unprepared to apply their knowledge in a clinical setting and remain unaware of national PA guidelines. Future studies should determine how to practically integrate PA education longitudinally into curricula to change PA education from an afterthought to an essential component of medical school education.

scholarly journals Students with global experiences during medical school are more likely to work in settings that focus on the underserved: an observational study from a public U.S. institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shay E. Slifko ◽  
Nadja A. Vielot ◽  
Sylvia Becker-Dreps ◽  
Donald E. Pathman ◽  
Justin G. Myers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Application Service ◽  
Global Health Electives ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Background Global health interest has grown among medical students over the past 20 years, and most medical schools offer global health opportunities. Studies suggest that completing global health electives during medical school may increase the likelihood of working with underserved populations in a clinical or research capacity. This study aimed to assess the association of global electives in medical school on subsequently working in global health and with underserved populations in the United States (U.S.), additionally considering students’ interests and experiences prior to medical school. We also examined whether respondents perceived benefits gained from global electives. Methods We surveyed medical school graduates (classes of 2011-2015) from a large public medical school in the U.S. to describe current practice settings and previous global health experience. We evaluated work, volunteer, and educational experiences preceding medical school, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity using American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) data. We assessed the association between students’ backgrounds, completing global health electives in medical school and current work in global health or with underserved populations in the U.S. Results In the 5 to 8 years post-graduation, 78% of 161 respondents reported work, research, or teaching with a focus on global or underserved U.S. populations. Completing a global health elective during medical school (p = 0.0002) or during residency (p = 0.06) were positively associated with currently working with underserved populations in the U.S. and pre-medical school experiences were marginally associated (p = 0.1). Adjusting for pre-medical school experiences, completing a global health elective during medical school was associated with a 22% greater prevalence of working with an underserved population. Perceived benefits from global electives included improved cultural awareness, language skills, public health and research skills, and ability to practice in technology-limited settings. Conclusion Medical school graduates who participated in global electives as students were more likely than their peers to pursue careers with underserved populations, independent of experiences prior to medical school. We hypothesize that by offering global health experiences, medical schools can enhance the interests and skills of graduates that will make them more likely and better prepared to work with underserved populations in the U.S. and abroad.

scholarly journals Predicting Medical School and Internship Success: Does the Quality of the Research and Clinical Experience Matter?

2015 ◽  
Vol 180 (suppl_4) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie D. Paolino ◽  
Anthony R. Artino ◽  
Aaron Saguil ◽  
Ting Dong ◽  
Steven J. Durning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical School ◽  
Clinical Experience ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
American Medical College ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Application Service ◽  
Service Application

ABSTRACT Objectives: This article explores specific aspects of self-reported clinical and research experience and their relationship to performance in medical training. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Uniformed Services University. The American Medical College Application Service application was used to discern students' self-reported clinical and research experience. Two authors applied a classification scheme for clinical and research experience to the self-reported experiences. Study outcomes included medical school grade point average (GPA), U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, and intern expertise and professionalism scores. A linear regression analysis was conducted for each outcome while controlling for prematriculation GPA. Results: Data were retrieved on 1,020 matriculants. There were several statistically significant but small differences across outcomes when comparing the various categories of clinical experience with no clinical experience. The technician-level experience group had a decrease of 0.1 in cumulative GPA in comparison to students without self-reported clinical experience (p = 0.004). This group also performed 5 points lower on the USMLE Step 2 than students who did not report clinical experience (p = 0.013). The various levels of self-reported research experience were unrelated to success in medical school and graduate medical education. Discussion: These findings indicate that self-reported technician-level clinical experience is related to a small reduction in typically reported outcomes in medical school.

scholarly journals Rurality and Origin–Destination Trajectories of Medical School Application and Matriculation in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 417
Author(s):  
Lan Mu ◽  
Yusi Liu ◽  
Donglan Zhang ◽  
Yong Gao ◽  
Michelle Nuss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical School ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
School Students ◽  
Rural Counties ◽  
Physician Shortages ◽  
The Us ◽  
Using Data

Physician shortages are more pronounced in rural than in urban areas. The geography of medical school application and matriculation could provide insights into geographic differences in physician availability. Using data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), we conducted geospatial analyses, and developed origin–destination (O–D) trajectories and conceptual graphs to understand the root cause of rural physician shortages. Geographic disparities exist at a significant level in medical school applications in the US. The total number of medical school applications increased by 38% from 2001 to 2015, but the number had decreased by 2% in completely rural counties. Most counties with no medical school applicants were in rural areas (88%). Rurality had a significant negative association with the application rate and explained 15.3% of the variation at the county level. The number of medical school applications in a county was disproportional to the population by rurality. Applicants from completely rural counties (2% of the US population) represented less than 1% of the total medical school applications. Our results can inform recruitment strategies for new medical school students, elucidate location decisions of new medical schools, provide recommendations to close the rural–urban gap in medical school applications, and reduce physician shortages in rural areas.

scholarly journals Are Global Experiences During Medical School Associated with Future Medical Practice? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Survey and Medical School Application Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shay E Slifko ◽  
Nadja A. Vielot ◽  
Sylvia Becker-Dreps ◽  
Donald E. Pathman ◽  
Justin G. Myers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Application Service ◽  
Global Health Electives ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Background: Global health interest has grown among medical students over the past twenty years. Most medical schools offer global health opportunities. Studies suggest completing global health electives during medical school may increase likelihood of choosing a primary care discipline or working with underserved populations, yet they have generally not considered students’ interests and experiences prior to medical school. This study aimed to assess the associations of pre-medical school factors and global electives in medical school on subsequently working in global health and with underserved populations in the United States (U.S.) and whether respondents reported perceived benefits from global electives. Methods: We surveyed medical school graduates (classes of 2011-2015) from a large public medical school in the U.S. to describe current practice settings and previous global health experience. We evaluated work, volunteer, and educational experiences preceding medical school, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity using American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) data. We assessed the association between students’ backgrounds, completing global health electives in medical school and current work in global health or with underserved populations in the U.S.Results: Of 161 respondents, five to eight years post-graduation, 78% reported work, research, or teaching with a focus on global or underserved U.S. populations. Completing a global health elective during medical school (p=0.0002) or during residency (p=0.01) were positively associated with currently working with underserved populations, and pre-medical school experiences were not associated (p=0.1). Adjusting for race and ethnicity, completing a global health elective during medical school was associated with a 38% greater prevalence of working with an underserved population. Perceived benefits from global electives included improved cultural awareness, language skills, public health and research skills, and ability to practice in technology-limited settings. Conclusion: Medical school graduates who participated in global electives as students were more likely than their peers to pursue careers with underserved populations in the U.S. They reported the experience improved their cultural competency and public health skills. These data can be used to design medical school curricula that encourage global health electives, and support skills that will benefit future work with underserved populations, either in the U.S. or abroad.

scholarly journals Who’s Taking What? “Applied STEM” Coursetaking for High School Students With Learning Disabilities

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842199907
Author(s):  
Michael A. Gottfried ◽  
Jay Plasman ◽  
Jennifer A. Freeman ◽  
Shaun Dougherty
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
High School Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Career And Technical ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
And Mathematics

Increasing and improving the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational pipeline has been a point of emphasis for decades, and federal policy in the United States has urged high schools to embed new types of STEM courses into the curriculum. As one example, applied STEM courses—one growing branch within career and technical education (CTE)—are designed to reinforce traditional academic STEM content and to motivate students’ interests and long-term pursuits in STEM areas. That said, little is known about who takes these courses, and applied-STEM-CTE enrollment in these courses has not been explored in the research for students with learning disabilities. Using the High School Longitudinal Study (a nationally representative data set of high school students), we asked whether CTE coursetaking differed for students with learning disabilities compared with those without disabilities, and whether there were specific coursetaking differences in applied-STEM-CTE. We found that students with learning disabilities were more likely to earn more units in CTE courses compared with students without disabilities. Yet, when looking at applied-STEM-CTE courses, we see that although students with learning disabilities earn more CTE units than students without disabilities, students with learning disabilities do not take different amounts of applied-STEM-CTE courses. Implications are discussed.

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