Designing a Social Justice Curriculum for Clerkship Students

Future physicians must understand that patients are the result of biopsychosocial factors that need to be explored to be effectively managed. For physicians caring for diverse patients, it is crucial to recognize not only the contexts in which a patient presents, but also their own biases and preconceptions about marginalized groups. While lectures and classroom learning are necessary to construct a foundation for recognizing the importance of social justice in medicine, these concepts must be reinforced by lived engagement. The clerkship years of medical school are an opportunity for students to put these concepts into practice. Presenters will discuss strategies to introduce social justice concepts beside the clinical curriculum. Participants will review the Structural Vulnerability Assessment Tool and discuss its use as a "springboard" when delving into a patient's personal narrative. This tool enables students to forge stronger connections with their patients and reckon with bias in the hospital, on their medical teams, and in themselves that engenders reflection and critique. Most importantly, it provides a framework that promotes "structural competency" to better equip future physicians with the knowledge of how structural vulnerabilities contribute to illness. One practical benefit of this approach is that students can apply what they learn by advocating for their patients and improving clinical care and discharge planning. Finally, presenters will introduce a scaffolded structure of individual and small group work that encourages students to develop their teambuilding skills and to learn by teaching one another.