Abstract
The education of health science professionals must balance the incorporation of new and essential content against the current curriculum density. Scientific evidence documenting the impact of sex and gender on health outcomes establishes the need for incorporation of these topics into the health science curriculum. An interprofessional workshop was designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to effectively champion curricular change. Surveys before and after the workshop assessed the participants' perception of curriculum change. Introductory presentations addressed topics of organizational readiness and characteristics of change agents. This was followed by role-play activities in groups of 8 to 10, utilizing two scenarios. The first scenario involved a faculty champion advocating for change to the school curriculum leadership, and the second scenario involved the curriculum leadership advocating for change to the teaching faculty. After the role-play, participants shared the important points discovered by their groups, and the same information was collected by survey. After the workshop, 95% participants reported an increased ability to advocate for the inclusion of sex and gender topics in the curriculum. The most important aspect of the workshop was the providing of resources related to the teaching of sex and gender topics. We conclude that a workshop format balancing didactic information and role-playing scenarios is an effective tool for empowering faculty to introduce changes in health sciences curricula in areas that may be new to faculty or health science school leadership, such as the impact and role of sex and gender on health outcomes.
Highlights
The curriculum in professional schools is dynamic, reflecting the influence of emerging health concerns, changes in the practice environment, the nature and content of the institutional accreditation processes, and the requirement for individuals to be accredited as health care practitioners
We conclude that a workshop format balancing didactic information and role-playing scenarios is an effective tool for empowering faculty to introduce changes in health sciences curricula in areas that may be new to faculty or health science school leadership, such as the impact and role of sex and gender on health outcomes
Post hoc review of the comments generated in the group discussions noted that they fell into three main types of emphasis or strategies that would be useful to facilitate curricular change
Summary
The curriculum in professional schools is dynamic, reflecting the influence of emerging health concerns, changes in the practice environment (many driven by technology), the nature and content of the institutional accreditation processes, and the requirement for individuals to be accredited as health care practitioners. Increasing evidence indicates sex and gender differences in all health conditions, this knowledge is infrequently or inconsistently included in the education of health professionals.[1,2,3,4,5] Framing education in this context could help to improve the health care provided to all patients, as well as to identify areas that need further study.[6] The need for improvement in education in this area, as well as the potential impact on their future practices, has been identified by medical students.[7].
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