The multicultural sensitivity of physician assistant students.

Using a specially designed instrument, the authors examined physician assistant students' multicultural sensitivity at four points before, during, and after the 30 months of a master's degree program. The students (n = 19) were found to have become more multiculturally sensitive by the end of the program, even in the absence of specific relevant instruction. The greatest improvement followed the end of clerkship rotations, where the students had experiences with low-income patients of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. The authors suggest that increasing such experiences during training may enhance students' multicultural sensitivity.