Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards
Introduction Microaggressions, subtle slights related to characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation, in a clinical setting can sabotage the therapeutic alliance. Curricula tailored specifically towards medical students that raise awareness of microaggressions and aim to change behav...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Association of American Medical Colleges
2020-04-01
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| Series: | MedEdPORTAL |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10893 |
| _version_ | 1818727512429035520 |
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| author | Raquel Sofia Sandoval Titilayo Afolabi Jordan Said Spencer Dunleavy Avik Chatterjee Daniele Ölveczky |
| author_facet | Raquel Sofia Sandoval Titilayo Afolabi Jordan Said Spencer Dunleavy Avik Chatterjee Daniele Ölveczky |
| author_sort | Raquel Sofia Sandoval |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction Microaggressions, subtle slights related to characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation, in a clinical setting can sabotage the therapeutic alliance. Curricula tailored specifically towards medical students that raise awareness of microaggressions and aim to change behavior are absent. Methods We created a 2-hour workshop to prepare preclinical medical and dental students to recognize and respond to microaggressions in clinical practice. The workshop consisted of a didactic portion describing microaggressions and strategies for responding to them and a case-based small-group portion to practice strategies. Participants completed electronic pre- and postworkshop surveys. Results Of 163 students participating in the workshop, 121 (74%) completed the preworkshop survey, 105 (64%) completed the postworkshop survey, and 81 (50%) completed both. Preworkshop, 48% reported female gender, and 36% reported underrepresented in medicine status. The majority (77%) had witnessed or experienced microaggressions in the clinical setting, and 69% reported very good or excellent familiarity with the concept of microaggressions. The curriculum appeared to significantly mitigate challenges associated with microaggressions, including reductions in perceived difficulty in identifying microaggressions (p < .001), being unsure what to do or say (p < .001), improvements in familiarity with institutional support systems (p < .001), and awareness of the clinical relevance of microaggressions (p < .001). Discussion Given the high self-reported prevalence of microaggressions in the clinical setting, students need the skills to respond. This innovative session improves readiness to address microaggressions by helping participants build and practice these skills in a supportive environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T22:15:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b36f2412a33142768e837bbb9b505ee7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2374-8265 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T22:15:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | Association of American Medical Colleges |
| record_format | Article |
| series | MedEdPORTAL |
| spelling | doaj.art-b36f2412a33142768e837bbb9b505ee72022-12-21T21:30:38ZengAssociation of American Medical CollegesMedEdPORTAL2374-82652020-04-011610.15766/mep_2374-8265.10893Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the WardsRaquel Sofia Sandoval0Titilayo Afolabi1Jordan Said2Spencer Dunleavy3Avik Chatterjee4Daniele Ölveczky5Medical Student, Harvard Medical SchoolMedical Student, Harvard Medical SchoolMedical Student, Harvard Medical SchoolMedical Student, Columbia University College of Physicians and SurgeonsPhysician, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program; Associate Epidemiologist, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Instructor, Harvard Medical SchoolAssistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Inclusion Officer, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterIntroduction Microaggressions, subtle slights related to characteristics such as race, gender, or sexual orientation, in a clinical setting can sabotage the therapeutic alliance. Curricula tailored specifically towards medical students that raise awareness of microaggressions and aim to change behavior are absent. Methods We created a 2-hour workshop to prepare preclinical medical and dental students to recognize and respond to microaggressions in clinical practice. The workshop consisted of a didactic portion describing microaggressions and strategies for responding to them and a case-based small-group portion to practice strategies. Participants completed electronic pre- and postworkshop surveys. Results Of 163 students participating in the workshop, 121 (74%) completed the preworkshop survey, 105 (64%) completed the postworkshop survey, and 81 (50%) completed both. Preworkshop, 48% reported female gender, and 36% reported underrepresented in medicine status. The majority (77%) had witnessed or experienced microaggressions in the clinical setting, and 69% reported very good or excellent familiarity with the concept of microaggressions. The curriculum appeared to significantly mitigate challenges associated with microaggressions, including reductions in perceived difficulty in identifying microaggressions (p < .001), being unsure what to do or say (p < .001), improvements in familiarity with institutional support systems (p < .001), and awareness of the clinical relevance of microaggressions (p < .001). Discussion Given the high self-reported prevalence of microaggressions in the clinical setting, students need the skills to respond. This innovative session improves readiness to address microaggressions by helping participants build and practice these skills in a supportive environment.http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10893RacismMicroaggressionDiscriminationTool KitDentistPhysician |
| spellingShingle | Raquel Sofia Sandoval Titilayo Afolabi Jordan Said Spencer Dunleavy Avik Chatterjee Daniele Ölveczky Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards MedEdPORTAL Racism Microaggression Discrimination Tool Kit Dentist Physician |
| title | Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards |
| title_full | Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards |
| title_fullStr | Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards |
| title_short | Building a Tool Kit for Medical and Dental Students: Addressing Microaggressions and Discrimination on the Wards |
| title_sort | building a tool kit for medical and dental students addressing microaggressions and discrimination on the wards |
| topic | Racism Microaggression Discrimination Tool Kit Dentist Physician |
| url | http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10893 |
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