An audit of the medical pre-clinical curriculum at an urban university: sexual and gender minority health content

Abstract

Most medical students receive inadequate preparation to care for sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients. A review of one urban medical school’s pre-clinical curriculum was conducted to assess coverage of appropriate SGM health content. Curricula that fully or partially addressed American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) core competencies for SGM health were categorized in an Excel spreadsheet. For partially met competencies, content that addressed the competency along with what was needed to fully address the competency were documented. AAMC SGM competencies that were not addressed at all were also noted. As a secondary source for triangulation, curricular topics were compared to SGM health content prioritized by Vanderbilt, a leader in championing inclusion of SGM content in medical curricula. Of the 30 AAMC competencies, 10 competencies were addressed, 11 were partially addressed, and 9 were not addressed. Gaps were noted in the AAMC domains of professionalism, systems-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and personal/professional development. Among Vanderbilt topics, the George Washington University (GW) curriculum lacked content in intersex health, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in lesbians, vaginitis in lesbians, efficacy of anal microbicides, anal Pap smears, and anal cancer risk and treatment for men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite these weaknesses, GW clocked greater than the national average at 7.5 hours of SGM content. This study provides a roadmap for curricular enhancements needed at GW as well as a prototype for other institutions to audit and improve curricular coverage on SGM health.