A critical race theory curriculum for emergency medicine learners

Abstract

ObjectivesWe set out to develop and implement a critical race theory (CRT) curriculum to address an identified gap in emergency medicine education. Sessions explored concepts of CRT and issues of racism as they relate to the clinical and extraclinical environments.MethodsWe developed a series of five virtual workshop sessions in 2019 that were held over Zoom in June and July 2020 in the setting of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Eight learners completed the curriculum. Prior to each session, learners were provided presession materials including podcasts, recorded lectures, and readings. Thought‐provoking questions were also provided with presession materials to facilitate discussion during sessions. Materials were curated to provide foundational knowledge on CRT and U.S. history as well as local history of the San Francisco Bay Area.ResultsParticipants found the curriculum useful, reported increased familiarity with CRT, and were more likely to have an analytic framework for topics of race and racism. Participants also reported that their perspective had been changed after completing the curriculum.ConclusionsOur curriculum promoted effective engagement with topics of race and racism by learners. Opt‐in participation contributed to an engaged cohort and the small cohort size encouraged participation by all learners. Semistructured facilitation allowed participants to guide conversations to their own topics of interest while also addressing specific topics at hand. Independent guided presession work allowed participants to gather knowledge at their own pace prior to each session, which likely contributed to more active and in‐depth participation.

Beyond diversity and inclusion: Developing a research agenda for anti‐racism in emergency medicine education

“…Multiple teaching formats have been applied successfully and vary based on local context and learner level (e.g., simulation, journal club, retreat, local highlights, web‐based, interactive teaching sessions, etc.) 16–19 …”

“…web-based, interactive teaching sessions, etc.). [16][17][18][19] Care should also be taken in maintaining learners' psychological safety. Implementation of implicit bias training within UME/ GME increases trainee awareness of their individual implicit biases but may also induce stress when learners begin to recognize bias within themselves.…”

2022 consensus conference on diversity, equity, and inclusion: Developing an emergency medicine research agenda for addressing racism through health care research

“…53,54 Available data primarily focus on measuring the effectiveness of education in improving awareness of racism. Studied interventions that have been found to be successful at improving awareness of racial bias and racism include health equity retreats for EM residents, 48 critical race theory curricula in EM education, 55 health equity journal clubs for EM staff, 45 and online courses for EM faculty. 56 Literature focused on improving outcomes related to emergency medical care included incorporating medical Spanish in residency to improve patient satisfaction, 57 decreasing barriers for Black and Hispanic men to receive opioid use disorder treatment, 58 and emergency department (ED)-based interventions…”