TY - JOUR
T1 - Domestic Global Health
T2 - A Curriculum Teaching Medical Students to Evaluate Refugee Asylum Seekers and Torture Survivors
AU - Asgary, Ramin
AU - Saenger, Pamela
AU - Jophlin, Loretta
AU - Burnett, Delia C.
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - Background: Seven to 12% of foreign-born patients in the United States has experienced torture. We aimed to teach medical students to identify and care for asylum seekers/torture survivors. Description: One hundred twenty-five students participated in a program consisting of a workshop covering sequelae of torture, asylum law, and an approach to patient evaluation; twice-monthly clinical sessions; and mentored preparation of medical affidavits. We observed clinical encounters; evaluated medical affidavits; and assessed students' knowledge, attitudes, and skills pre- and postcurriculum. Evaluation: Students successfully performed physical and psychological evaluations and prepared affidavits resulting in 89% asylum application approval. We observed improvement in student attitudes toward working with survivors (p <.05), knowledge of sequelae of torture (p <.001), and self-efficacy in clinical evaluation (p <.001). Conclusions: Medical students learned necessary skills to provide services for survivors, which will also serve them in caring for other vulnerable populations. As an advocacy, cultural competency, and domestic global health opportunity, this training was feasible and achieved its educational goals.
AB - Background: Seven to 12% of foreign-born patients in the United States has experienced torture. We aimed to teach medical students to identify and care for asylum seekers/torture survivors. Description: One hundred twenty-five students participated in a program consisting of a workshop covering sequelae of torture, asylum law, and an approach to patient evaluation; twice-monthly clinical sessions; and mentored preparation of medical affidavits. We observed clinical encounters; evaluated medical affidavits; and assessed students' knowledge, attitudes, and skills pre- and postcurriculum. Evaluation: Students successfully performed physical and psychological evaluations and prepared affidavits resulting in 89% asylum application approval. We observed improvement in student attitudes toward working with survivors (p <.05), knowledge of sequelae of torture (p <.001), and self-efficacy in clinical evaluation (p <.001). Conclusions: Medical students learned necessary skills to provide services for survivors, which will also serve them in caring for other vulnerable populations. As an advocacy, cultural competency, and domestic global health opportunity, this training was feasible and achieved its educational goals.
KW - asylum seeker
KW - curriculum
KW - global health
KW - medical student
KW - torture survivors
KW - training
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U2 - 10.1080/10401334.2013.827980
DO - 10.1080/10401334.2013.827980
M3 - Article
C2 - 24112205
AN - SCOPUS:84886426104
VL - 25
SP - 348
EP - 357
JO - Teaching and Learning in Medicine
JF - Teaching and Learning in Medicine
SN - 1040-1334
IS - 4
ER -