Diversity in medical school: Perceptions of first-year students at four southeastern US medical schools

Purpose. To assess students' perceptions of the extent of diversity in thei r classes, the role of diversity in their first-year curriculum, and their predictions of the amount of diversity in their future patient population. Method. In 1998, students at four southeastern U.S. medical schools that ha d distinct demographics and differing institutional missions completed a qu estionnaire on diversity at the end of the first year. In the instrument, d iversity was defined according to nine population characteristics: age, sex , race, ethnic background, physical disability. religious affiliation, sexu al orientation, socioeconomic status, and rural background (growing up in a community of less than 5,000). Responses wen compared according to student s' institution, sex, and race. Results. Questionnaires were returned by 349 of 474 students (74%). Student s 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 curr iculum than did men students, and they placed greater value on understandin g diversity issues in their future medical practices than did men. Compared with Asian American, Hispanic, and white students, African American studen ts were the least likely to think that the curriculum contained adequate in formation about diversity. Conclusions. The results indicate that perceptions of diversity were influe nced by the students' own demographic characteristics and those of their me dical school. The more diverse the class, the more comfortable the students were with diversity and the more they valued its contribution to their med ical education.