Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Deploring racism isn’t enough: Addressing white privilege in medical school

Jessica Cranston
Education
May 10, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

If you ask a group of medical students to raise their hands if they are, in fact, racist, I’d venture to guess that not a single hand would shoot up. And I don’t think they would be lying. I am sure that no student believes that he, she, or they are a bigot.

Many of us have committed our lives to care for patients regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Yet, despite that commitment, racism is intrinsically embedded into our culture, pervades our righteous perspective of our calling, and undoubtedly affects the care of our patients. We need a cultural and societal shift of seismic proportion to rid ourselves of institutional and structural racism, which, hopefully, would spawn more tolerant individuals and less discriminatory behavior. This is no easy task and will most likely take generations to accomplish. For now though, medical school staff are charged with the responsibility to teach us the impact of racial bias and, more importantly, how to avoid it.

So how does a group of educators strip preformed biases that have been cementing themselves for over twenty-two years from the minds of steadfast, test-driven medical students? Oftentimes, my school’s “bias in medicine” seminars consist of a group of faculty members, usually people of color, discussing the rampant prejudice in hospitals and throughout the medical arena. We hear from our classmates and staff how they have been personally affected by racial biases in the medical field as physicians and physicians-to-be. We are shown statistical figures illustrating astounding rates of fatality amongst black individuals compared to that of their white counterparts. The white patients are mentioned almost as a control. Lectures delve into health disparities based on race, which is absolutely imperative for us to comprehend, but that’s usually where it ends. We too often fail to discuss the root of these problems, the racial privilege of white people, and what we can do to create a real and powerful charge toward equity.

I am a 24-year-old, white, heterosexual, cisgender female. Throughout my life, I have garnered unearned privilege due to my identity and fair skin color.

During our class discussions on racism, it is usually people of color who speak up. They discuss how individuals sometimes assume their acceptance to medical school was the result of affirmative action, how the majority of attendings who serve as mentors are white, while the majority of students are not, and how when their badge is not visible when they walk into the hospital, the security officer immediately questions their intentions.

The other white students and I usually remain quiet and just listen during these sessions — we want to give our fellow students the space and time to discuss their personal experiences with, and fears of, racism. But as I sit quietly, absorbing the gravity of my classmates’ anecdotes, I wonder how we can ignore the flagrant unearned racial privilege I and the other white students have tacitly been living with.

My acceptance to medical school was accredited to my hard work and intelligence. I have a plethora of available mentors who look just like me, and in lectures, I almost exclusively see pictures of white men and women who have made major advances in medicine. I can walk into the hospital with no identification badge on display, and the security guard smiles at me. I can listen silently during a lecture on racism without feeling as though it is my duty to speak up on behalf of my race.

White privilege is always present, but it is rarely discussed. Our medical system favors both the white physician and the white patient. It is due time that we call out an ideation that reinforces a culture of white privilege.

As white medical students and physicians, it is time for us to acknowledge the privilege we hold and that the same system that has benefitted us our whole lives, has disabled others. While we alone may not be able to dismantle racism on a societal level, it is our duty to acknowledge our privilege and take an active role in addressing the pervasive racism ingrained in the medical system we are immersed in.

To effectively address this racism requires a three-pronged approach that allows us to explore our own biases, our own ability to be unintentionally racist, and the ways that we may be perpetuating systemic inequities. 1) We must collectively identify and acknowledge personal experiences of white privilege as individuals within our institution and society as a whole. Awareness is the first step to battling these intrinsic biases, but it is not enough to stop there. Through this recognition, we must develop a shared language across disciplines and institutions allowing for seamless communication amongst colleagues regarding racism and privilege. 2) With this shared understanding, we must work together to collaborate and strategize personal, institutional, and community-wide actions to refute this discrimination. This may include everything from required trainings, workshops, didactic lectures, to group discussions, all focused on the inequities present as both a healthcare worker and a patient. 3) We must pledge a lifelong dedication to end the pervasive racism in the medical field.

The option to remain passive in the fight for racial justice is another privilege granted to white people, but it is our monumental responsibility, our moral imperative, to take action.

Jessica Cranston is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Should we stress about stress? Protecting ourselves during the pandemic.

May 10, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

We must protect the most precious scarce resource required for the next phase of the pandemic

May 10, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Should we stress about stress? Protecting ourselves during the pandemic.
Next Post >
We must protect the most precious scarce resource required for the next phase of the pandemic

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • End medical school grades

    Adam Lieber
  • My white privilege perpetuates this country’s inherent racism. It’s time to change that.

    Rachel Fogel
  • The medical school personal statement struggle

    Sheindel Ifrah
  • Why medical school is like playing defense

    Jamie Katuna
  • The unintended consequences of free medical school

    Anonymous
  • A meditation in medical school

    Orly Farber

More in Education

  • Why clinical research is a powerful path for unmatched IMGs

    Dr. Khutaija Noor
  • Dear July intern: It’s normal to feel clueless—here’s what matters

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Why medical schools must ditch lectures and embrace active learning

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

    Vaishali Jha
  • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

    Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD
  • How I learned to stop worrying and love AI

    Rajeev Dutta
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy
    • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinical research is a powerful path for unmatched IMGs

      Dr. Khutaija Noor | Education
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
    • How to advance workforce development through research mentorship and evidence-based management

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 11 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy
    • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinical research is a powerful path for unmatched IMGs

      Dr. Khutaija Noor | Education
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
    • How to advance workforce development through research mentorship and evidence-based management

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Deploring racism isn’t enough: Addressing white privilege in medical school
11 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...