SEX AND GENDER EDUCATION IN PRE-HEALTH CURRICULUMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

Abstract

Education regarding sex and gender and their application to course content is not being addressed until nearly the end of professional careers, despite being foundational information. In patient care settings, there is risk when not all of a person's identity and characteristics are considered for decision making. In research settings, past studies have lacked sex and gender diversity which provides inaccurate foundation for future studies. When sex and gender are not included as distinct terms in curriculums, many are in danger of incomplete data and limited health care. This data, collected from self-identified pre-health students at the University of Arizona, will be used to make a recommendation for curriculum improvement. Participants answered a variety of questions regarding their knowledge of sex and gender and their preparedness for future application of the knowledge. The results were analyzed as they related to the aims of the study, comparing for total correctness in addition to drawing correlations between identity and responses.