Cultural competency in the physician assistant curriculum in the United States: a longitudinal study with two cohorts

Purpose: Many Physician Assistant (PA) programs have recently integrated cultural competency into their curricula. However, there is little evidence tracking the longitudinal effectiveness of curricula on culture competency. This study tested whether amount of exposure to a cultural competency curriculum affected self-assessments of cultural awareness among two cohorts of students. Method: Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 students completed a cultural awareness survey at the beginning of the program and retook the survey at three intervals during the first year. Results: Regression analyses confirmed significant linear relationships (two-tailed α < .05) between responses and interval number on all questions for each cohort, with exception of Question 8 for Cohort 2. Conclusion: Results from Cohort 2 replicated those from Cohort 1 suggesting that cultural awareness among PA students benefits from repeated exposure to lessons on cultural competency. Schools attempting to develop or expand cultural awareness among students should consider integrating cultural competency training throughout the PA curriculum