Struggles With Sex and Gender. Perspectives of First Year Medical Students: A Focus Group Study

Sex and gender are important determinants of healthcare that need to be taken into account for medical teaching. Education is more effective if tailored students’ subjectively-perceived needs connected their prior knowledge opinions. This study explored first-year students thoughts about sex differences in general specifically healthcare, what educational preferences learning these concepts during training. Therefore six focus groups were conducted with 26 students, 7 male 19 female within one Dutch faculty. The discussions audio-recorded transcribed verbatim. After a thematic analysis was performed which included descriptive coding, interpretative definition overarching themes. Three major themes identified. (1) Students’ self-perception gender, including three domains: (a) unavoidable allocation individuals groups, (b) role stereotypes, (c) effect sex/gender on career choice options. (2) goal orientedness sex/gender. (3) struggles between the binary system medicine complexity reality. Continuous reflection school might help acquire sex- gender-sensitive competencies can applied future work. To increase awareness influence choices, we recommend addressing explicitly early curriculum.