"He Didn't Just Say What I Think He Did, Did He?" Addressing Racism, Harassment, and Microaggressions in the Clinical Learning Environment
Health care professionals take an oath to care for all who require their expertise. However, patient populations are inevitably diverse, which may lead to conflict. The literature contains multiple examples of patients discriminating against their medical team. The right to work in an environment free from discrimination must be balanced with the obligation to provide care. Unfortunately, medical centers often lack formal policies on how to deal with issues of discrimination against clinicians. Thus, tools used to diffuse such tumultuous situations may be just as relevant to the clinical learning environment as medical knowledge.
Attending physicians are often the first to witness overt acts of discrimination or microaggressions toward trainees and have the power and influence to deal with such issues. It is our goal to educate and empower faculty to become upstanders when they witness discriminatory actions. After introduction of key definitions and concepts, presenters will pose challenging scenarios surrounding discrimination, bigotry, equity, and anti-racism in the clinical learning environment and academia. Afterwards, audience members will reflect on case content, participate in peer and small group discussion, and close with a large group debrief of best practices. Facilitators will ask probing questions regarding use of power, and (after introducing the topic) which of Hays' ADDRESSING framework is most relevant to each case. The audience will use the algorithm proposed by Paul-Emile et al. to choose the appropriate course of action in each scenario.
Attending physicians are often the first to witness overt acts of discrimination or microaggressions toward trainees and have the power and influence to deal with such issues. It is our goal to educate and empower faculty to become upstanders when they witness discriminatory actions. After introduction of key definitions and concepts, presenters will pose challenging scenarios surrounding discrimination, bigotry, equity, and anti-racism in the clinical learning environment and academia. Afterwards, audience members will reflect on case content, participate in peer and small group discussion, and close with a large group debrief of best practices. Facilitators will ask probing questions regarding use of power, and (after introducing the topic) which of Hays' ADDRESSING framework is most relevant to each case. The audience will use the algorithm proposed by Paul-Emile et al. to choose the appropriate course of action in each scenario.