A Transgender Health Care Panel Discussion in a Required Diversity Course

Objectives. To examine the impact of a panel discussion on transgender health care on first-year (P1) pharmacy students' knowledge and understanding of transgender experiences in an Introduction to Diversity course. Design. The panel consisted of both transgender males and females. After panelists shared their healthcare experiences, students asked them questions in a moderated setting. Students completed evaluations on the presentation and learning outcomes. They also wrote a self-reflection paper on the experience. Assessment. Ninety-one percent of students agreed that they could describe methods for showing respect to a transgender patient and 91.0% evaluated the usefulness of the presentation to be very good or excellent. Qualitative analysis (phenomenological study) was conducted on the self-reflection papers and revealed 7 major themes. Conclusion. First-year students reported that they found the panel discussion to be eye opening and relevant to their pharmacy career. Our panel may serve as model for other pharmacy schools to implement.