A Longitudinal Comparison of Pharmacy and Medical Students' Attitudes Toward the Medically Underserved

Objective. To longitudinally assess pharmacy and medical students' attitudes toward the medically underserved. Methods. The Medical Students' Attitudes Toward the Underserved (MSATU) survey was administered to the entering classes at the schools of pharmacy and medicine at 2 universities in the South. This self-report measure was then completed by these students in each year of the professional curriculum. Data were compared longitudinally to assess students' attitudes toward the underserved. Results. Pharmacy students' attitude scores towards the underserved remained relatively stable over time (MSATU attitudes scores: Year 1 = 45.2, Year 2 = 48.3, Year 4 = 45.7), while medical students' attitude scores declined significantly (MSATU attitudes scores: Year 1 = 55.5, Year 2 = 52.4, Year 4 = 46.4). No differences in scores were associated with gender. Conclusion. This initial study comparing pharmacy and medical students' attitudes toward the underserved can serve as a baseline as healthcare professionals seek for solutions to better care for the medically underserved.