Medical student advocacy and action: a student-led initiative to prevent firearm violence

Abstract

Firearm violence continues to substantially increase, yet medical education is largely devoid of firearm injury prevention efforts. We evaluated reactions to Gun Violence Prevention Week (GVPW) sessions to initiate a longitudinal curriculum. All 280 participants were invited to evaluate GVPW through post-session surveys and 158 responded; 77% (124/158) were medical students. One hundred nine participants reported no prior training. Themes from open-ended questions confirmed GVPW significance by noting importance of (1) advocacy/community, (2) personal narratives, and (3) skill-based strategies. Participants expressed need for further training. Future directions include required firearm violence prevention training for all medical students.