Evaluating the Preclinical Curriculum for Women’s Health Content and Clinical Preparedness at Wayne State University School of Medicine

Introduction: We evaluated the preclinical curriculum at WSU SOM to determine if there is sufficient coverage of women's health topics and its impact on students’ clinical preparedness. We hypothesized that students perceive inadequate coverage across multiple women’s health disciplines, leading to low clinical preparedness. Knowledge from this study can guide recommended changes to the curriculum. Methods: A Qualtrics survey was distributed to the classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026, collecting feedback on women’s health topic coverage, and self-rated comfort with addressing these topics clinically. Results: Students reported that HDF provided the most comprehensive coverage, except for preventive health, which was attributed mainly to Clinical Skills. Cardiovascular health in women was the least covered, while psychiatric health received attention across multiple courses. Only 15% of respondents felt "extremely comfortable" with any women’s health topic. Cardiovascular and maternal/infant health had the highest “extremely uncomfortable” responses. Overall, 49% of students were dissatisfied with the women’s health content, with specific gaps in abortion care, contraception, and the physiology and medical management of female sexual pleasure. Discussion: The survey findings reveal that most students are dissatisfied with the women’s health content in WSUSOM’s preclinical curriculum. Our study was limited by responses predominantly coming from students identifying as women, as well as students pursuing specialties like OB/GYN or Internal Medicine, which may skew perceptions toward a greater need for women’s health content. Additionally, students’ clinical comfort might be affected by prior experiences, such as work in healthcare or completing an OB/GYN rotation before responding to the survey. Overall, the findings suggest that targeted curriculum changes could improve students' confidence and preparedness for clinical practice specific to women’s health.