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Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
. 2005 Sep;97(9):1272–1276.

Knowledge of cultural competence among third-year medical students.

Jada Bussey-Jones 1, Inginia Genao 1, Diane Marie St George 1, Giselle Corbie-Smith 1
PMCID: PMC2594777  PMID: 16296218

Abstract

An increasingly diverse population and ongoing health disparities have brought national attention to cultural competence training in medical schools. However, few data exist on medical students' knowledge in cultural competence. The purpose of this study is to assess medical students' knowledge in cultural competence to identify training areas for curriculum development. All third-year medical students at a single institution during the period of November 2001 to February 2004 completed a questionnaire to assess their knowledge of cultural competence during their medicine clerkship. The 40-item questionnaire measured several domains of cultural competence: health disparities, stereotyping, exploring culture, perceptions of health and illness, and communication/language. The mean knowledge score was 55%, and no student scored >80%. Race and prior cultural training were not predictors of overall performance.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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