Presented By: Amanda Croft-deHagen, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Co-Authors: Ryan Tubbs, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Purpose 
In the United States, sexual assault is unfortunately common. 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. It is undeniable that physicians will encounter individuals who are survivors of sexual assault requiring medical care during their careers. This study explores the ways in which sexual assault encounters are currently being taught in United States medical schools via an anonymous online survey to medical educators.  

Methods 
In this cross-sectional study, anonymous online surveys were sent to 193 medical schools (155 allopathic, 38 osteopathic). The survey asked educators how much time in their curriculum is dedicated to sexual assault encounter training and whether the educator feels the time that is dedicated to the topic is adequate. It also asked at what year the training is incorporated into their curriculum and the training modality (e.g. lecture, online modules, simulated encounters). At the study's end, descriptive statistics and frequency tables were used to describe survey outcomes. 

Results 
The majority of educators indicated having some form of sexual assault training in their institution's curriculum, but most also reported that they felt the amount of training was inadequate. The most common training modality used was by online module, followed by lecture, and least commonly, by simulated encounters. Training was most likely to be included as part of clinical skills education in the third year. 

Conclusion 
While many medical schools have some form of sexual assault encounter training for their students, most educators felt the training was inadequate to prepare students for future encounters with patients. The timing and modality of the training is also highly variable between institutions. Here we present recommendations for developing standardized educational modules to help prepare future physicians for encounters with survivors of sexual assault.