Diversity in medical school: Perceptions of first-year students at four southeastern U.S. medical schools

Purpose. To assess students' perceptions of the extent of diversity in their classes, the role of diversity in their first-year curriculum, and their predictions of the amount of diversity in their future patient populations. Method. In 1998, students at four southeastern U.S. medical schools that had distinct demographics and differing institutional missions completed a questionnaire on diversity at the end of the first year. In the instrument, diversity was defined according to nine population characteristics: age, sex, race, ethnic background, physical disability, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and rural background (growing up in a community of less than 5,000). Responses were compared according to students' institution, sex, and race. Results. Questionnaires were returned by 349 of 474 students (74%). Students at the school with the most diverse first-year class placed the greatest value on the contributions of diversity to the learning environment. Women students placed more value on the inclusion of diversity issues in the curriculum than did men students, and they placed greater value on understanding diversity issues in their future medical practices than did men. Compared with Asian American, Hispanic, and white students, African American students were the least likely to think that the curriculum contained adequate information about diversity. Conclusions. The results indicate that perceptions of diversity were influenced by the students' own demographic characteristics and those of their medical school. The more diverse the class, the more comfortable the students were with diversity and the more they valued its contribution to their medical education.