Texas Women's Histories
An archival project
Medical Schools
Diversity in Religion/Culture/Ethnicity Background
The diversity in student background can benefit the education in two main ways:
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(1) The diversity among students increases the intellectual vitality of education;
(2) Different cultural perspectives help provide better patient care.
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Firstly, diversity among students promotes discourse between different ideas and perspectives, and it leads to a more open and more comprehensive academia. Different ideas all can be freely expressed, and they stimulate the intellectual vitality of the students.
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Secondly, studies has shown that diversity among medical students can help students better prepare for a diverse patient population (Saha). With interactions with people from different backgrounds, medical students can master better interpersonal skills and consequently, provide better patient care in future situations.
Healthcare Access Promotion
(1) Minority students tend to serve more patients from similar backgrounds and work in underdeveloped areas to promote healthcare access;
(2) Awareness towards healthcare equality rises among medical students when diversity increases.
According to previous studies, minority students tend to practice in under-served areas, at a much higher rate compared to other demographics (Saha). They will become responsible leaders in the medical field who endeavor to advance the equality of healthcare. Also, this effect can spread to other students in medical school. Medical students will start to pay more attention to public health problems because of their peers and very likely start to take initiatives to change the unfavorable situation.
How can medical schools benefit from increased diversity in medical student?
Flyer for Medical School Administrators