'Learning by teaching': a peer-teaching model for diversity training in medical school.

摘要

BACKGROUND: The sociocultural medicine teaching experience examines the viability and efficacy of a peer teaching model in enhancing diversity-focused attitudes, knowledge, and skills in medicine among advanced level medical students. DESCRIPTION: This experience recruited 4th year students to facilitate diversity-focused case-based discussions for 2nd year students. Peer teachers participated in a training session that addressed personal exploration of sociocultural background, health care disparities, biosociocultural aspects of the patient case, and facilitation skills. Evaluation assessed learning outcomes, teaching experience; and attitudes, knowledge, and skills related to sociocultural medicine. EVALUATION: Paired t tests revealed a greater understanding of the relation among sociocultural background, health, and medicine (p <.05), and greater proficiency with teaching sociocultural medicine topics to peers (p <.01). Overall, peer teachers agreed the experience increased their exposure to sociocultural factors in patient care, enhanced their case conceptualization skills, and encouraged them to consider personal belief systems. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest peer teaching can be an effective model to refine knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to diversity issues in health care. The model may be a viable approach for diversity training in graduate and continuing medical education.