title: A longitudinal study of multicultural curriculum in medical education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate impact a multicultural interclerkship had on students' perception of knowledge, interview skills, and empathy towards serving culturally diverse populations and role student demographics played in learning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data extracted from students' self-reported course evaluations and pre/post questionnaires during multiculturalism interclerkship across 11 academic years. Inquired students' opinion about four areas: effectiveness, small group leaders, usefulness, and overall experience. Subscale and item ratings were compared using trend tests including multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During studied years, 883 students completed course evaluation with high overall mean rating of 3.08 (SD=0.45) and subscale mean scores ranging from 3.03 to 3.30. Trends in three of four subscales demonstrated clear uptrend (p<0.0001). Positive correlations between ratings of leaders and "usefulness" were observed (p<0.0001). Pre/post matched dataset (n=967) indicated majority of items (19/23) had statistically significant higher post interclerkship ratings compared to pre scores with nine of 19 having statistically significant magnitudes of change. Questionnaire had high overall reliability (Cronbach alpha=0.8), and item-to-group correlations ranged from 0.40 to 0.68 (p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By increasing students' exposure and interaction with diverse patients, their knowledge, attitude, and skills were increased and expanded in positive manner. These findings might inform those who are interested in enhancing this important competence. This is especially true given increasing scrutiny this global topic is receiving within and across healthcare professions around the world.
authors.affiliation: Office of Institutional Research, Evaluation and Assessment, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.affiliation: Office of Institutional Research, Evaluation and Assessment, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinh
authors.affiliation: Office of Institutional Research, Evaluation and Assessment, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Godkin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cultural humility; cultural ultural competence; medical education; multicultural curriculum