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LGBT Medical Education: First-Year Medical Students’ Self-Assessed Knowledge and Comfort with Transgender and LGB Populations

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Abstract

Background

Medical education lags with respect to care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations, all of which experience disparities around access to care and health outcomes.

Objective

(1) To evaluate M1 students’ perceived preparedness to care for transgender patients compared to LGB populations, (2) to identify knowledge and skills gaps, and (3) to recommend curricular developments.

Methods

An online survey was administered to M1 students (N = 137) and assessed knowledge of and comfort levels with special populations. Responses were compared regarding transgender and nonbinary populations to those regarding LGB ones. Analyses consisted of t tests of response means and natural language processing of a free-text field querying for knowledge and skills needed to work with these subpopulations.

Results

With a 100% response rate, students expressed significantly lower levels of knowledge and comfort regarding transgender and nonbinary populations compared to LGB ones. Natural language processing of the sentiment of the free-text field revealed greater magnitude for transgender populations (83.7 vs. 62.1) and equal average sentiment scores (0.2). Content also revealed a greater emphasis on direct interaction with trans and nonbinary persons in order to develop gender-affirming language and skills whereas LGB content focused on acquiring knowledge of LGB health issues.

Conclusions

M1 students feel less knowledgeable about and comfort with transgender persons compared to LGB ones; they want more exposure to and interaction with trans-patient experiences in order to develop gender-affirming language and clinical practices that address the range of healthcare needs.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, 1700 W. Van Buren Street, Suite 563B, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Hale M. Thompson & Jennifer A. Coleman

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Rush University Medical Center, 1700 W. Van Buren Street, Suite 563B, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Paul M. Kent

Authors
  1. Hale M. Thompson
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  2. Jennifer A. Coleman
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  3. Paul M. Kent
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hale M. Thompson.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. For this type of retrospective study, formal consent is not required.

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Thompson, H.M., Coleman, J.A. & Kent, P.M. LGBT Medical Education: First-Year Medical Students’ Self-Assessed Knowledge and Comfort with Transgender and LGB Populations. Med.Sci.Educ. 28, 693–697 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-018-0614-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-018-0614-6

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