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Abstract
The primary purpose of this student-initiated study is to assess the impact of the recent dermatology pre-clerkship curriculum change initiated by Loma Linda School of Medicine. The secondary purpose is to assess medical students’ perception of the diversity represented in course material to identify areas for improvement. A Microsoft Teams survey will be sent out to MS3s (third year medical students) and MS4s in January to analyze their diagnostic accuracy and self-rated confidence comparing dermatologic conditions in skin of color and lighter skin types. Additionally, the survey will be sent out to MS2 students upon completion of their Musculoskeletal/Dermatology block in early February. Across classes, both students’ accuracy in diagnosing skin conditions in various skin tones and students’ perceptions of the importance and impact of the curricular changes will be assessed. Student surveys will be analyzed individually for comments regarding their perception of the representation of diverse skin tones in course material to identify areas for improvement. Old and new course material will be analyzed by manually counting the number of dermatologic images that were included of light skin versus dark skin to calculate the ratio of representation and if there was a significant change in this ratio after the curriculum change. Subjects will include all Loma Linda medical students in their second, third, or fourth year. Subjects will be recruited for participation via their institutional email. Consent will be detailed on the email and the survey and obtained by survey submission by participant.