Unwhiting a medical staff is a difficult prospect.
Come along with me while I explain.
Come along with me while I explain.
Recent events around #BLM have generated a new theme of #antiracism among newly self described #antiracists.
This is good.
This is good.
White doctors on predominately white medical staffs around the country are noticing how white they are.
This is good.
This is good.
Thus they proclaim in some words or another, “We need to unwhiten this medical staff.”
Still good.
Still good.
Soon after, someone says, “O shit how are we going to do that?”
This is good because somebody has to ask hard questions.
This is good because somebody has to ask hard questions.
Next someone maybe with no black friends will suggest The Simple Solution:
We need to interview and select more people of color to join our medical staff.
We need to interview and select more people of color to join our medical staff.
Now let me share with you how it’s been told to me.
No person of color or Black Person or BIPOC physician in the whole world wants to be the first or one of the few members of an underrepresented minority on your or nobody’s medical staff.
No person of color or Black Person or BIPOC physician in the whole world wants to be the first or one of the few members of an underrepresented minority on your or nobody’s medical staff.
Some of you might now be saying, “No duh Whitney McAxioms.”
For the rest of you, I’ll explain.
For the rest of you, I’ll explain.
This is a thankless, uncompensated nightmare of isolation and never ending annoyance.
Every time the hospital needs a picture to show their new love of diversity, you have to stop what you are doing and be in it.
Every time the hospital wants to recruit another URM MD, you have to go to dinner. And sell it.
When there is racism explicit and implicit, you are likely to be the lightning rod that gets hit by it.
If, after some time, it becomes too exhausting to be the New Black Doctor, and you decide to leave, there will be no luncheon to thank you for your endless uncompensated service.
They will just say, “Sorry it didn’t work out.”
They will just say, “Sorry it didn’t work out.”
If you think the solution is then not to bother to try to unwhiten your medical staff, you are mistaken.
It is a worthy goal and necessary step to reverse the traditional whiteness and racial difference between care-givers and patients seen in many places.
It is a worthy goal and necessary step to reverse the traditional whiteness and racial difference between care-givers and patients seen in many places.
It is a necessary step to improve patient care, education, and justice in a medical staff.
In my understanding (feel free to offer yours) the essential step is not to make this role uncompensated.
It’s going to be a lonely, thankless, pain in the ass.
It’s going to be a lonely, thankless, pain in the ass.
The options for compensating the task of being one of the first POC on a medical staff include:
- salary
- benefits
- non clinical time
- networking time
- recruiting time and money
- research freedom
- research money
- protection from excessive mentoring responsibilities
- salary
- benefits
- non clinical time
- networking time
- recruiting time and money
- research freedom
- research money
- protection from excessive mentoring responsibilities
- options for sabbatical
- salary, again.
- salary, again.
I can’t think of what would make this worthwhile for me. If I were a Black Doctor, I think I would gravitate toward Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, DC.
I wouldn’t have it in me to be some pioneer to help white folks unwhiten their medical staff.
I wouldn’t have it in me to be some pioneer to help white folks unwhiten their medical staff.
Personally, I’d need to run a program for diversity, get a big duffel bag of money every 2 weeks, be given a budget for travel and recruitment, and $1000 for every photo, dinner, or mentorship call.
And even then, I would need 3 months off a year.
And even then, I would need 3 months off a year.
So all across the land Mostly White Medical Staffs are trying to figure out how to get more diversity in their ranks.
They are hoping people will just volunteer to show up for this Herculean task.
Not going to happen.
They are hoping people will just volunteer to show up for this Herculean task.
Not going to happen.
Think it through for yourself.
What would it take for you to skip over joining a group that looks like you and shares more life experience with you to instead be a racial/ ethnic/ cultural pioneer in a mostly white hospital or group?
What would it take for you to skip over joining a group that looks like you and shares more life experience with you to instead be a racial/ ethnic/ cultural pioneer in a mostly white hospital or group?
I don’t know that I have a price for that kind of isolation.
Remember that, for people of color, their experience is not defined by the majority of the experiences they have with white folks.
It’s defined by the worst experiences they have.
It’s defined by the worst experiences they have.
Even just a few can make it break a job, a move, a career.
So for me, this deal would have to be really sweet. Like I-don’t-think-you-can-afford-it sweet.
So White Doctors on a Mostly White Medical Staff, if you aren’t willing to pony up a lot of cash and other accommodations, you will spend the next 20 years talking a lot about “increasing diversity” and getting little of it.
PS If you don’t know why I took the time to write this, I’ll tell you that too.
Because it’s true and I can.
Because it’s true and I can.
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