Abstract
Interest in global health experiences (GHEs) has surged in the last decade throughout undergraduate medical education. Positive clinical and cultural learning impacts are well described; however, the moral and motivational typology of the globally minded medical student are yet to be elucidated. We surveyed 85 US medical students, 41 who participated in a GHE during medical school and 44 who did not, to examine their sense of moral association with local community, Americans, and all of humanity. Measures of empathy and spirituality were also administered, as well as a qualitative prompt to elicit reasons for participating, or not, in a GHE. The results of logic regression analysis suggest that the strongest predictors of GHE participation are strong, geographically non-specific identification with ‘all humanity’ [OR=1.31, P<0.01, 95% CI, 1.07–1.59], as well as participation in an abroad experience prior to medical school [OR 141, P<0.01, 95% CI, 10.1–1960]. While respondent groups did not differ significantly in their association with local community, incremental increase in identification with ‘Americans’ decreased likelihood of IME participation by 20% [P=0.02, 95% CI, 0.67–0.96]. No significant effect was found between participant groups in response to empathy or spirituality scales. This pilot study demonstrates that a global regard for ‘all humanity’ may motivate GHE participation while a strong national association diminishes its likelihood.
Highlights
Interest in global health experiences (GHEs) among medical trainees and educators in the US continues to rise
The results of logic regression analysis suggest that the strongest predictors of GHE participation are strong, geographically non-specific identification with ‘all humanity’ [OR=1.31, P
This analysis suggests that incremental response increase on the ‘all humanity’ measure of the Identification With All Humanity Scale (IWAH) scale corresponds with increased likelihood of GHE participation by 31% [P
Summary
Interest in global health experiences (GHEs) among medical trainees and educators in the US continues to rise. Students pursue GHEs for educationally practical reasons: to learn to care for patients in low resource environments, build collaborative relationships with international organizations, and integrate global health into their future careers (Leow et al, 2012; Moren et al, 2015). Little attention has been paid to the moral motivations of the globally minded medical student. In an environment of physician shortage in parts of the US and in typically referent nations of the term ‘global’ health, the question of which populations a doctor in training directs his or her moral compass becomes immediate. Among a student population presumably selected for their altruistic tendencies, why some direct their sentiment globally and others more locally sheds light on how individuals in a generation of physicians might operationalize concepts like globalization and the inevitability of a shrinking global village
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
