Communicating about Sexuality

Abstract

Medical students who experienced the curriculum found it valuable. Student self-evaluations, done at the end of each clerkship, indicate increased comfort in dealing with issues of sexuality. During the pediatric clerkships only, half the students received the curriculum while the other half served as a comparison group. The intervention group showed a slight decrease in homophobic attitudes; the lack of a larger effect is likely due to a high level of baseline acceptance and comfort around issues of sexual orientation in this particular medical school class. The pediatric segment will be modified to take this into account and present more advanced topics around sexual orientation and interviewing. The entire curriculum is being incorporated into ongoing clerkships using existing resources at the medical school.