An Op-Ed Writing Curriculum for Medical Students to Engage in Advocacy Through Public Writing

Background

Op-ed writing can be a powerful and accessible advocacy tool for physicians, but training is lacking in undergraduate medical education.

Aim

To train and engage first-year medical students in op-ed writing.

Setting

Midwestern research-intensive medical school.

Participants

All students in a required first-year health policy course in 2021 and 2022.

Program Description

For their health policy course’s final assignment, students could opt to write an op-ed on a healthcare issue of their choice. All students received written instruction on op-ed writing. Additionally, they could access a seminar, coaching and editing by peers and faculty, and publication guidance.

Program Evaluation

Of 179 students over 2 years, 105 chose to write op-eds. Fifty-one attended the seminar, 35 attended peer coaching sessions, 33 accessed structured peer editing, and 23 received faculty assistance. Thirty-eight students submitted a total of 42 op-eds for publication. Twenty-two pieces were published in major outlets and 17 in the university’s health policy review. Of the 22 in major outlets, 21 received editing from either peers or faculty.

Discussion

An op-ed writing curriculum can be integrated into an existing medical school health policy course, resulting in a high level of engagement and in published op-eds by medical students.