title: The impact of cross-cultural interactions on medical students' preparedness to care for diverse patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Medical students who graduate from schools with diverse student populations are more likely to rate themselves as prepared to care for diverse patients compared with students who graduate from more homogenous schools. This study aimed to identify the types of cross-cultural interactions associated with students' self-rated preparedness.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2010, the authors developed and administered a Web-based survey that queried Harvard Medical School students about their voluntary interethnic interactions (studying, socializing), participation in diversity-related extracurricular activities, and self-rated preparedness to care for diverse patients. The authors separated students' responses regarding interethnic interactions and participation in diversity-related extracurricular activities into high and low participation, then determined the association between these responses and those to questions about students' self-rated preparedness to care for diverse patients. They used ANOVA and Z tests of proportion to analyze their data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 724 eligible students, 460 completed the survey (64%). Seventy-five percent (324/433) believed they were prepared to care for patients from backgrounds different from their own. Students who spent >75% of their study time with students from different backgrounds or who participated in a greater number of diversity-related extracurricular activities were more likely to rate themselves as prepared to care for diverse patients overall and to perform seven other skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Voluntary cross-cultural interactions, both studying and socializing, are associated with higher self-rated preparedness to care for patients from diverse backgrounds. Medical schools should continue to support multicultural pursuits to prepare students to become physicians sensitive to the needs of diverse patients.
authors.affiliation: Oliver Wendell Holmes Society, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Nina N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Zeba A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krupat
authors.forename: Betty N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Crutcher
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Shields
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D054521:Cultural Competency; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008404:Massachusetts; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*