Minoritized Trainees’ Experiences19 of Unprofessionalism
| Professionalism Domain | Trainee | Trainees’ Experiences | Axes of Oppression Upheld |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disrespectful communication | Black man | “On my pediatrics rotation, I met a Black family whose child was meeting all their developmental goals. I said this was ‘lit’ and the family agreed. Later my resident told me this was ‘unprofessional.’” | Racism |
| Disrespectful communication | Black man | “I was given feedback after a 2-week family medicine inpatient rotation. I was told I performed excellently, however there was concern that the way I speak and my body language during rounds brought down the morale of the group. I was asked to smile more and speak more softly and assigned faculty from the psychosocial department to help me do so.” | Racism |
| Limited availability | Latina woman | “I asked for permission to miss my pre-clinical clerkship to accept an award on behalf of my school’s Student National Medical Association chapter. Peers of mine had missed to attend academic and clinical conferences, so it didn’t seem like a big deal, especially since we were receiving a national award. I had missed once before due to chronic migraine but thought I was in good standing. After sending my request, I was called in to speak with the director about ‘professionalism,’ and they told me my absences were excessive and unjustified.” | Ableism Racism |
| Lack of initiative | Latina woman | “I was deemed unprofessional once for considering missing a clinical skills opportunity that involved a 30-minute and $65-dollar round-trip Uber ride because my car was in the shop. When I responded that I was experiencing financial and mental stress, which was why I was considering missing the session, the faculty member never responded to my email. I still feel stress any time I run into this faculty member.” | Ableism Economic inequality |
| Lack of self-awareness | Black woman | “During a clinical skills debrief of a pediatric emergency simulation, a White pediatrician led a panel of faculty to evaluate and provide feedback for the 4 student (2 Asian men, and 2 Black women) participants. Over the course of a half hour, [the evaluator] repeatedly attributed the clinical suggestions and contributions of the Black women to the men in the group. The 2 Black women received feedback asking them to take notes from their [male] classmates who demonstrated ‘leadership’ during the simulation.” | Racism Sexism |