How Diverse Is Your Universe? An Activity for Students to Reflect on Ethnoracial Diversity During Orientation

Date of Review: June, 2020

This resource, from MedEdPORTAL, presents an overview and results of a session held for first- and second-year medical students to increase awareness of the racial/ethnic diversity of influences in their life and networks. After hearing presentations on the benefits of being more culturally aware, students completed an activity where they identified, and reflected on, the racial/ethnic makeup of various fictional and real people in their lives. The session seems relatively easy to implement, and the authors present the largely positive feedback from students, as well as opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the session. One potential weakness may be the somewhat superficial nature of some questions about individuals in the students’ lives; overall, however, this exercise seems to offer students an opportunity to be more aware of, and to reflect on, the diversity (or lack thereof) in their personal networks, as it relates to providing patient-centered care to diverse patient populations. –Dave Liss, PhD, NCEAS

Corresponding Author’s Email:

tawyatt@augusta.edu

Institution:

Augusta University

Where was the Curriculum Implemented:

Augusta, GA

Source of the Curriculum/Resource:

MedEdPORTAL

Outcomes that Have Been Reported for the Curriculum:

Learner Satisfaction or reaction

Outcome and Study Design:

Post only

Level of Learner Assessment:

Appreciation of content/attitude assessment (self-reflection, blogging with rubric)