Gender-based education during clerkships: a focus group study

Abstract

Objectives

One of the goals of the medical master’s degree is for a student to become a gender-sensitive doctor by applying knowledge of gender differences in practice. This study aims to investigate, from the students’ perspective, whether gender medicine has been taught in daily practice during clerkship.

Methods

A focus group study was conducted among 29 medical students from Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, who had just finished either their internal medicine or surgical clerkships. Data were analyzed in line with the principles of constant comparative analysis.

Results

Four focus groups were conducted with 29 participating students. Clinical teachers barely discuss gender differences during students’ clerkships. The students mentioned three main explanatory themes: insufficient knowledge; unawareness; and minor impact. As a result, students feel that they have insufficient competencies to become gender-sensitive doctors.

Conclusion

Medical students at our institution perceive that they have received limited exposure to gender-based education after completing two key clinical clerkships. All students feel that they have insufficient knowledge to become gender-sensitive doctors. They suppose that their clinical teachers have insufficient knowledge regarding gender sensitivity, are unaware of gender differences, and the students had the impression that gender is not regarded as an important issue. We suggest that the medical faculty should encourage clinical teachers to improve their knowledge and awareness of gender issues.

Keywords:

• medical education
• clerkship
• gender
• hidden curriculum
• clinical teachers

Supplementary material

Table S1 Focus group interview guidebook

Disclosure

Lotte van Leerdam is a trainee GP at the Radboud University Medical Center. Lianne Rietveld is in vocational training in psychiatry at the Radboud University Medical Center. Doreth Teunissen, GP, PhD in medicine, is a senior researcher at the Gender and Women’s Health Unit at the Radboud University Medical Center. Antoine Lagro-Janssen, GP, PhD in medicine, holds a professorship in Women’s Health. She is the head of the unit of Gender and Women’s Health at the Radboud University Medical Center in The Netherlands. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.