Little uniquely identifiable information about Hispanic women who gain
entrance into medical school is known. A few studies that focus just on stress in
Hispanic women in medical school have found unique stressors. This research
examines stress in Hispanic women students (all four years) at Texas A&M University
System Health Science Center College of Medicine (TAMUS-HSC) at College
Station and at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, Texas.
Twenty- four women took part in this project.
Data was gathered using a packet of questionnaires, incorporating Sheridan and
Radmachers Comprehensive Scale of Stress Assessment and the Personal Style
Inventory (1987 and 1991) and The Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC)
Student Project: Stress in First-Year Medical Students (Lensky, Noori, Matsukuma,
Melamud & Chen, 1999). Each woman was personally interviewed.
The results suggest increased stress and unique stressors found by others who
have researched Hispanic women in medical school. The intensity of medical school
coupled with the stress that engulfs them from fear and sometimes anger (two stress
emotions) stemming from worry about failure in school and worry about student loans
that they are fearful they may not be able to repay causes high stress. Social, ethnic,
and cultural bias and norms barriers to which they struggle to overcome anger them.
Results from investigation of coping strategies suggest the women are coping as well
as can be expected and are joyous over what they are doing. They rely on social groups
to give them support. The knowledge they have obtained that there is prejudice toward
their academic qualifications seems to make them more determined. They appear to be
non-traditional and strong women who feel they are destined to become medical
doctors
This research should add valuable information to future research in this area. It
is suggested by this author that there is a need for substantial, active, immediate and
constant support for all minority students in Texas medicine. It is of necessity that
minority mentors be trained and efforts made to put in place a program that works to
support the women who are struggling and in fear of failing out.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/1471 |
| Date | 17 February 2005 |
| Creators | Anita, Connelly Nicholson |
| Contributors | Stenning, Walter F. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 608880 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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