Assessing Harmful Bias and Celebrating Strength Through the Narratives of Black/African American Physician Assistant Students

Abstract

IntroductionTwo national crises, the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism, have drawn nationwide attention to the disparities that exist in our society today. The American healthcare system, including physician assistant (PA) education, is not exempt from the impact of harmful bias and discrimination. The purpose of this study was to explore narratives recounting the experiences of Black/African Americans who have successfully completed their PA education in an attempt to understand how PA educators can better support students of color.MethodsQualitative, semi-structured interviews, guided by a critical race theory framework, were conducted with 6 Black/African American PAs who had graduated within the last 5 years. Trustworthiness was ensured through member checking, triangulation, peer debriefing during the coding and analysis process, and autoethnographic reflection.ResultsThemes of mentorship and cultural capital, including aspirations, family, social support, and resistance to an oppressive system, highlight the strengths present in Black/African American students. Additional themes surrounding stress related to race, including a pressure to prove, isolation and anxiety, and imposter phenomenon, all pointed toward the need for honest and safe dialogue among individuals with racial differences.DiscussionThis research article presents key findings and opportunities for PA educators to emphasize cultural capital to enable Black/African American PA students to thrive. Communicating across racial differences and intentional engagement are imperative for PA educators to successfully support Black/African American students.

Risky Others: Covid-19 Reconstitutions of Risk, Governance, and Stigmatization of Bodies

“…Such individuals may experience stigmatization as risky Others and for working in essential, risky roles (Raine et al, 2020). For instance, Black/African American trainees in a physician assistant program described experiences of bias from peers, patients, and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent media coverage of systemic racism (Bester & Bradley-Guidry, 2022). Likewise, Black American women in essential work (mostly healthcare and social work) described a rise in blatant racism in workplaces and difficulty in coping with non-Black colleagues' mixed responses to racially-charged topics (Goode et al, 2022).…”

“…International students require mental health, academic, and financial services designed to meet their specific needs, as well as opportunities for discussion, multicultural engagement, and safe reporting of discrimination (Koo et al, 2021;Dong et al, 2023). Holistic mentorship and open discussions of racial injustices are essential for racialized healthcare trainees (Bester & Bradley-Guidry, 2022). While culturally-safe and linguistically appropriate mental health services are necessary (Tong et al, 2022), anti-racism training in healthcare must move beyond cultural competency models to challenge norms and discourses (Kim et al, 2022).…”