J Natl Med Assoc
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We sought to correct a low interview rate for racial groups underrepresented in medicine (URM) by analyzing our interview selection process, identifying sources of unintended bias, and developing a new process that would provide a more racially diverse interview pool. ⋯ A comprehensive review of applications that minimizes emphasis on USMLE step 1 scores substantially reduced the difference between the percentages of URMs and those of other racial backgrounds who were offered interviews for a Neurology residency.
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While parent-child communication about sex is associated with safer sexual practices among African American youth, there is a noticeable gap in the representation of fathers' perspectives on talking with their sons about sexual and reproductive health. Moreover, less is known about the sources from which fathers seek information to inform such conversations. ⋯ Qualitative content analysis revealed three themes: a) fathers' personal stories and testimonies; b) instructional media preferences; and c) religious teachings and moral examples. The findings indicated that African-American fathers considered father-son sex education an important and critical aspect of their fathering role. Additionally, we found that the content of father-son sexual and reproductive health communication emphasized the importance of sexual risk reduction, open communication, and sharing their values and beliefs regarding initiation of and appropriate context for sex. The findings have implications for social work, nursing, and public health.
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The study objective was to identify biobehavioral variables associated with greater intake of nicotine and a tobacco carcinogen among Black light smokers who smoke 1 to 10 cigarettes per day (CPD). ⋯ Among Black Light smokers, higher cigarette consumption and greater physical dependence-but not rate of nicotine metabolism, menthol use, or socioeconomic status-were associated with greater toxicant exposure and thus a likely increased risk of tobacco-related diseases. The lack of data on light smokers, and specifically on Blacks, make this observation important given the disproportionate burden of lung cancer in this population.
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In spite of emphasis on patient-centered cares and promotion of their quality, shortcomings have been seen in health systems due to lack of compassion. ⋯ Although compassionate care has been known as the main element of improving services quality in health care system, it has been studied restrictively from the viewpoints of the patients and all personnel in healthcare systems. The improvement of compassionate care through education cannot remove completely the gap between theory and practice, because it seems that clinical environment and organizational values of healthcare system are the largest facilitating and inhibiting factors for filling this gap. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures for promoting organizational culture.
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Increasing numbers of underrepresented in medicine minority (URMM) physicians has garnered increased attention. Pipeline programs aid this effort and are designed to expose learners to the healthcare experience and strengthen academic preparedness. This paper describes the clinical experiences of students who participated in a bridge to medical school Master's Degree pipeline program at a community based medical school. ⋯ The clinical preceptorship linked academic knowledge with clinical skills and provided an avenue for learning about health disparities and patient advocacy for underserved patients. It also identified a need for increased exposure to underserved patient populations across medical specialties.