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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Marcella Nunez Smith, MD, Department of Internal Medicine/Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Yale University, IE-61 SHM, P.O. Box 208088, New Haven, CT 06520-8088, 203-785-6134, marcella.nunez-smith@yale.edu

With a focus on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities, increasing racial and ethnic diversity within the physician workforce in the United States has become a national priority. Previous research has demonstrated that the perception of racial harassment is prevalent among minority medical trainees and continues into practice. Once out of training, compared to non-minority physicians, African descent physicians have lower job satisfaction and are promoted less frequently when controlling for productivity and academic accomplishment. Addressing these issues is important to achieve successful workforce diversification, but the shared and specific race-related experiences of minority physicians post-training and across work settings have not been well-characterized. This study aims to characterize the perceived influence of race on the experiences of practicing physicians of African descent in the healthcare workplace. We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 25 English-speaking physicians who self-identified as being of African descent and were practicing in New England. Interviews were facilitated by a discussion guide beginning with the broad question “How do you think race influences your experiences at work?” Further specific questions and probes were used for elaboration and clarification. A purposeful sample of physicians was recruited from all six New England states to ensure broad representation across specialty, gender, and academic and non-academic work settings. We interviewed physicians until no new themes emerged, i.e. thematic saturation was achieved. Audiotaped and professionally transcribed interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis. Transcripts were independently line-by-line reviewed and coded with an iteratively-developed code structure. The interdisciplinary coding team met and jointly resolved coding discrepancies using negotiated consensus. Qualitative analysis software was used to facilitate the organization and summary of key themes. This presentation will focus on the following themes: (1) The role of race in interpersonal interactions with patients, staff, and colleagues; (2) The influence of the institutional and cultural climate on race-related experiences; and (3) The personal and professional consequences of these shared experiences. Illustrative quotes related to each of these themes will be presented. Although these findings may not be widely generalizable, this project highlights that successful workforce diversification is not limited to the minority medical student recruitment. There is a need for the medical profession to address the issue of race in the healthcare workplace constructively. The insight provided here is necessary to design effective strategies that will both attract and support a diverse physician workforce.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the role of race in interpersonal interactions for practicing physicians of African descent at work and the influence of institutional climate on these experiences
• Discuss the personal and professional consequences of race-related experiences among practicing African descent physicians
• Discuss informatively issues of race in order to create and sustain a diverse healthcare workforce

Keywords: Workforce, Minorities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered