Meeting Students Where They Are: Educating Students with Varying Life Experiences About the Health Care Needs of Persons with Disabilities
Authors
Long-Bellil, Linda M.Jonassen, Julie A.
Rogoff, Mai-Lan A.
Barrett, Susan V.
Cassin, Candace
O'Connor, Darlene M.
Young, Martin H.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of PsychiatryDepartment of Physiology
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Office of Educational Affairs, Division of Research and Evaluation
Document Type
PosterPublication Date
2008-11-01Keywords
Education, Medical, UndergraduateDisabled Persons
Clinical Clerkship
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
Medicine and Health Sciences
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose: Medical students enter preclinical years with varying levels of experience with individuals with disabilities. Previous experience has been shown to have a significant impact on attitudes toward this population and, hence, has the potential to impact patient care (Tervo et. al, 2002). This study examined the impact of a one-day Interclerkship on students’ self-reports regarding specific components of their attitudes, by level and type of previous disability experience. Methodology: Students met with individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities and their families in small groups to discuss their health care needs and experiences. Students also viewed a short film regarding effective methods of communication with and modifications to the clinical encounter for individuals with physical disabilities. Afternoon workshops covered a wide array of topics including assistive technology, sexuality/childbirth, mental health, community resources and bladder management. Students reported levels of experience cognitive/physical: friends, relatives, schoolmates k-12 and college. 153 (77%) students over two years completed pre-and post-Interclerkship self-assessments that rated attitudes about medical care for patients with disabilities, using a 14-item 5-point Likert scale; means were compared by paired t-test. Students also provided course feedback. Results: There was a highly significant (pConclusions: A single-day Interclerkship improved the attitudes of students’ reporting all levels and types of disability experience.DOI
10.13028/745f-1j86Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/48668Rights
Copyright the Author(s)ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.13028/745f-1j86