Preparing to Serve a Diverse Patient Population: A Novel Diversity and Inclusion Course for Health Professions Students

According to the US Census and other population-wide assessments, the demographic diversity of the US population will change dramatically over the next several decades. As such, health professions (HP) students must prepare to serve a diverse patient population. This project consisted of the development, teaching, and evaluation of a diversity and inclusion course for HP students. The eight-week course covered introductory concepts (identity, privilege, oppression), six core topics (socioeconomic status, gender/sex/sexuality, religion/spirituality, ability status/rare diseases, race/ethnicity, obesity/weight bias) and contemporary issues (veterans’ health, pregnancy status, age). Class periods involved lectures, guest speakers, and activities such as TED Talk discussions. Four HP students participated in the course, and their achievement of four course objectives related to gaining knowledge of and understanding the diverse components of human identity was evaluated through assessments, reflections, and an exit interview. Student feedback was also obtained. Results from qualitative analyses indicated that students demonstrated growth for each of the course objectives for each core topic. Student feedback suggested a desire for more information about each core topic and additional guest speakers. In total, this project provided education to HP students, and its results can be used to enhance future diversity and inclusion education initiatives.