Rebecca Carter, Matthew Grant, Paula Newton & Erin Guidice

Code D: Responding to Discrimination at the Clinical Bedside

Objectives

  1. Identify and address instances of racism, implicit bias, and discrimination at the bedside
  2. Develop strategies to respond to discrimination during clinical practice with learners
  3. Examine institutional bias more broadly in order to respond to other forms of discrimination in clinical care

Description of Workshop Proposal

Education on racism and discrimination has traditionally focused on statistics and provider cultural competencies, with less attention paid to the role discrimination plays in a learner’s experience delivering clinical care, or on methods educators might use to intervene on discrimination. Studies show that bias, harassment, and feelings of hostility related to minority status lead to greater feelings of burnout and isolation amongst medical providers, and most learners have witnessed or experienced some form of discrimination during their training. As education leaders within the School of Medicine, we recognize that educators understand the varied forms of discrimination including racism and implicit bias, but are looking for practical approaches to use in the moment. This interactive workshop allows participants to develop strategies to recognize and respond to discrimination at the bedside, focusing on the effective strategies to respond to racism and discrimination in real time as the clinical team leader, while creating a model of action for their learners. Case scenarios will model strategies to utilize in participants’ own educational practice. A strength of our workshop lies in the varied experience of our facilitators, representing leaders in multiple levels of training programs, with varied clinical and leadership roles ranging from residency program directors and assistant program directors, sub-internship directors and division heads, and varied life experience including personal experience with various forms of discrimination at the bedside. Though presented through our lens as School of Medicine educators, we will demonstrate how scenarios can be reframed through the multidisciplinary lenses of our audience members.