Recommendations for Fostering Inclusivity in Medical Education.

Abstract

To the Editor: Manca and colleagues 1 demonstrate the importance of critical consciousness in medical education for developing medical students into socially aware clinicians who can meet the needs of a continuously evolving and diverse National Health Service population. Currently, the national curriculum varies drastically in terms of the level of critical pedagogy and lacks inclusive teaching, as evidenced by recent political movements. This has been highlighted by the gain in traction of the petition for more Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) inclusive medical teaching, 2 with over 200,000 signatures as of this writing. We, as medical students, propose the following 2 suggestions to increase the focus on minority inclusion and representation within medical education. First, we propose a national questionnaire for medical students. The practical implementation of the aspects mentioned by Manca and colleagues requires further research to identify gaps in knowledge and develop methods of teaching. These deficits vary according to medical students’ locations, exposures to different cultures, and socioeconomic differences. Therefore, this questionnaire would pinpoint local deficits in knowledge, allowing a tailored program to be delivered that would be specific to each medical school to better train medical students to be critically conscious. Furthermore, more interactive teaching styles, such as role-play exercises, are needed to promote students’ introspection and recognition of privilege and prejudice, which could prompt a transformation in their attitudes. Second, we propose comprehensive inclusivity training for lecturers, paralleled by a drive to recruit and support more BAME educators. The distinct lack of cultural, social, and political awareness that may exist within educators themselves, as well as the small number of BAME educators, means that a systemic change is needed in medical education. Training of educators must be standardized to implement the changes that Manca and colleagues propose. This is required to equip lecturers with an understanding of patient populations and their health care needs in different geographical locations throughout the United Kingdom. Alongside such education should be a program to support and encourage BAME educators, who have first-hand insight and knowledge of BAME issues. Both the inclusivity training and encouragement of more BAME educators would foster the development and availability of BAME-centered content.