Situational Judgment Tests to Assess and Nurture Cultural Humility

Title: Situational Judgment Tests to Assess and Nurture Cultural Humility
Authors: Jenna M. Weber, Jennifer L. Murray MPH, Kristine Snyder MPH, Siale V. Teaupa MD, Nadia Schellenberg, Matthew S. Prewett PhD, Brian Good MD, Paloma Cariello MD, Boyd Richards PhD, Rawad Farhat MD
Date: 1/27/2025
Background: Medical schools seek to graduate students with essential non-cognitive competencies like cultural humility. However, methods to assess and foster such competencies remain inconsistent. Some schools use secondary essays in admissions to assess cultural humility, but once students are admitted, strategies for continued development and assessment of such competencies rarely exist. We hypothesize that Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) offer a solution to this gap. Methods: SJTs are standardized exams that present a series of hypothetical scenarios that students may encounter in medical school. They require examinees to evaluate the effectiveness of various responses to each scenario. Recently, schools have begun to use SJTs in their selection processes, such as AAMC’s Professional Readiness Exam (PREview). At SFESOM, a collaborative team developed and piloted a set of cases with faculty, staff, and medical students. The SJT test was administered for the first time to first-year medical students in 2023. Subsequently, the cases were discussed with the students to facilitate reflection, and the response frequencies of each case were reviewed to determine the most appropriate approach. Results: Input from students after the review session suggests that they were able to integrate unfamiliar cultural concepts and apply them to patient scenarios. Conclusions: In addition to generating quantitative data for assessment purposes, SJTs and group-based review sessions can foster cultural humility in medical school students. The continued use of SJTs throughout medical education, beyond the admissions process, will enable students to develop the skills necessary to work effectively across diverse communities and cultures.

Copyright: Academy of Health Sciences Educators ©2025

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Situational Judgment Tests to Assess and Nurture Cultural Humility by Jenna M. Weber, MD, PhD, Jennifer L. Murray, MPH, Kristine Snyder, MPH, Siale Teaupa, MPH, Nadia Schellenberg, Matthew S. Prewett, PhD, Brian Good, MD, BCh, BAO, Paloma Cariello & Boyd F. Richards, PhD