Purpose
Medical students face challenges impacting academic performance, stress tolerance, ambiguity tolerance, and empathy. Foreign-born students often bring unique strengths, like resilience and adaptability, shaped by their experiences navigating different cultural and academic systems. However, they also face additional stressors, including language barriers and acculturation challenges. Research suggests that foreign-born students may develop a higher tolerance for ambiguity due to exposure to diverse and uncertain situations. Empathy, a critical skill in patient care, may also differ between foreign-born and domestic students, influenced by cultural perspectives and lived experiences. Despite the importance of these traits in medical education, limited research has explored how foreign-born status impacts these domains. This study addresses this gap by comparing these domains in foreign-born and domestic medical students to foster a more inclusive learning environment.

Methods
Data were drawn from institutional databases in accordance with an approved IRB protocol from the AAMC Matriculating Student Questionnaire (2021-2026 cohorts) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine were analyzed. Students were categorized as U.S.-born or foreign-born. NBME scores, stress levels, empathy, and tolerance to ambiguity were assessed at the end of Phase I and compared using independent samples t-tests.

Results
The preliminary results do not show significant differences between U.S.-born and foreign-born medical students in stress levels, empathy levels (p=0.21), tolerance for ambiguity (p=0.57), and NBME Phase I scores (p=0.32). Further analysis will be conducted to deduce potential interactions between the variables.

Conclusion
The data suggests that foreign-born medical students have similar stress levels, empathy, tolerance for ambiguity, and NBME exam scores to students born in the US. This can indicate that place of birth may not contribute to potential variations in these data points. Nevertheless, identifying trends can guide future research and interventions to address challenges and leverage their unique strengths.