the general geography of the region ( e . g ., highways , population centers , natural resource extraction areas ). The presentation also aims to challenge out-of-state students to begin considering how their own cultural backgrounds may guide their own thinking and rationales . Students are expected to self-reflect on how Appalachian culture contrasts or conflicts with their own . Moreover , how may those backgrounds mesh or conflict with Appalachian culture ? Therefore , just as with in-state students , there is a promotion for contemplation of one ’ s own cultural beliefs and practices . In essence , both instate and out-of-state students should be left to consider their own backgrounds , but also , the session provides a scaffold to better understand not just patients , but importantly , peers , colleagues , and faculty members .
There are some limitations for consideration . Regarding the presentation itself , students participate in this session during the first week of orientation to medical school at a time when they are receiving an inundation of practical information , are starting an adjustment process , and preparing to engage high-yield basic science material . Therefore , it may be beneficial to reengage students with an abridged presentation at the beginning of the third year of the curriculum , which is much more clinically dense . Also , the evaluations of the session do not explicitly ask if a student is or is not a resident of the state or if they identify as being Appalachian . Instead , students are simply asked to rate the session and to provide comments regarding the entire orientation week including individual sessions , which sometimes captures germane comments about this presentation . It would be beneficial to see if students from any particular area , including outside or inside of the state and region , rate the presentation differently . As mentioned above , students have anecdotally mentioned in the comments if they are from or not from the state or region , but not consistently nor in a way that could be aligned with their rating of the program .
CONCLUSION
The Appalachian Culture and History session has received positive feedback and achieved the goal of introducing the culture of the state and the region to medical students . The intent is to provide the scaffolding for students to begin to recognize and confront cultural stereotyping and biases . The data show that students , no matter if they are from the region or not , have benefitted from the educational session . The ultimate goal is ensure that future physicians will provide optimal care to the people of WV and other Appalachian regions .
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