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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Medical schools often strive to create a diverse student body. New research found medical students who attend schools with greater racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to rate themselves as better prepared to care for minority populations.
Study authors say there has been little evidence that racial and ethnic diversity in medical schools produces educational benefits. Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University conducted the study to see if the proportion of minority students within a school influences the students perceived preparedness to care for minority patients.
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For the study, more than 20,000 graduating medical students completed a web-based survey. The students were from 118 medical schools in the U.S. Black and Puerto Rican medical schools were excluded.
Researchers report the white students from the schools with the most diversity were 33 percent more likely to rate themselves as highly prepared to care for minority patients compared to white students from schools with the least diversity. Study authors say this study lends support to the Supreme Courts rationale that student body racial diversity is associated with measurable, positive, student outcomes.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008;300:1135-1145
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