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An Elective Course in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health and Practice Issues
Michael W Jann1, Scott Penzak2, Annesha White1
1University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy, Fort Worth, Texas.
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
|December 14, 2019
Summary
A new elective course significantly improved pharmacy students' understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health issues, including medication use and resource navigation. This demonstrates the value of specialized education in preparing future pharmacists to serve the LGBT community effectively.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacy Education
- Health Disparities
- LGBTQ+ Health
Background:
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals face unique healthcare challenges.
- Pharmacy education often lacks comprehensive training on LGBT health topics.
- There is a need to equip future pharmacists with the knowledge and skills to address LGBT health disparities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, implement, and evaluate an elective course on LGBT health for Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students.
- To enhance students' understanding of health promotion, barriers, prevention, and treatment for LGBT individuals across their lifespan.
- To assess the impact of the course on students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards LGBT healthcare.
Main Methods:
- Course content covered lifespan health issues, including promotion, barriers, prevention, and treatment for LGBT individuals.
- Active learning strategies included discussions, readings, guest speakers from the LGBT community, and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with a transgender actor.
- Student learning was assessed through quizzes, pre- and post-course surveys, and portfolio development.
Main Results:
- Students showed significant improvement across all seven course learning outcomes.
- The greatest gains were observed in knowledge of medications used by LGBT individuals and summarizing available healthcare resources.
- Student portfolios highlighted themes of discrimination, access barriers, advocacy, and the desire for inclusive pharmacy practice.
Conclusions:
- The elective course successfully enhanced pharmacy students' knowledge of unique LGBT healthcare issues.
- Students demonstrated improved skills in addressing the health needs of the LGBT community.
- This curriculum provides a model for other pharmacy programs to integrate LGBT health education and community engagement.