Is racism/sexism a problem?

[Smurfette]

This question is inspired by a thread about racism in the Queen's forum.

 

To what extent is sexual harassment or racial discrimination a problem in medicine? I'm not talking about admissions to medical school. My question is purely in the context of being a medical student/resident/physician in a hospital setting.

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[tarzi]

I don't think it would be any different from any other profession. On a side note - my friend openly admitted that his relatives in Oshawa prefer to be treated by white doctors.

 

I think asking about sexism/racism in medicine is self explanatory. Medicine is a real-world experience, which means notions of an ideal society are for the sheltered and the naive - you will encounter some good apples and bad apples. Some are lucky enough to get by w/o any bad experiences but this does not protect those unlucky few who encounter racism - and when you encounter it for the first time (I was 14), it's a huge event filled with sadness, anger, and confusion (perhaps more so when you are naive like i was).

 

That being said - I don't think that racism/sexism is a priority problem. What people think or talk about in private is fine by me - and most people who may express a racist/sexist idea in private do not usually express or act on this in public - which is important. There is a huge difference b/w people being human and venting their race/culturally based frustrations and those who are outright racist like a neo-nazis. The efficiency of healthcare delivery, of medical training, etc etc. I feel is fine and so the sublte racism, rare cases of prejudice, unconcious sexism, or racist patients (we will encounter patients from all walks of life) is not a problem.

[nowai]

Some patients are more comfortable with a doctor that is of their culture so that they can be better understood (either in terms of language or just having more in common so that the doctor can better empathize with the patient). Or even more commonly, some patients want a doctor of their own gender. Is this sexism? Sure. Should it be fought against? Probably not. If a female patient is more comfortable with a female doctor doing her exams, I don't see a problem with complying with the patient's wishes.

[tarzi]

Some patients are more comfortable with a doctor that is of their culture so that they can be better understood (either in terms of language or just having more in common so that the doctor can better empathize with the patient). Or even more commonly, some patients want a doctor of their own gender. Is this sexism? Sure. Should it be fought against? Probably not. If a female patient is more comfortable with a female doctor doing her exams, I don't see a problem with complying with the patient's wishes.

 

No - there is a difference b/w a south asian immigrant who feels more comfortable seeing a physician who can speak punjabi - b/c language carries a lot of culture in it (I don't know how else to explain this than to say that - if you directly translate a french film into english, some of the dialogue will lose it's meaning. thus, a good translation is never a literal one but has to be made by someone who is 100% fluent in both languages and who has an understand of both cultures).

 

Also, it's perfectly fine for a man to be more comfortable to get a physical done by a male doctor (or not! haha) or a woman to wish to have a female obstertrician.

 

My use of the word "prefer" was to keep it nice - they don't trust indian or chinese doctors - regardless if they were born in canada and who are familiar with canadian culture. my buddy used this as an example of his relatives being ignorant and racist - there's a difference b/w all 3 examples.

[Satsuma]

I don't think it would be any different from any other profession. On a side note - my friend openly admitted that his relatives in Oshawa prefer to be treated by white doctors.

 

Ha ha ha! I grew up in a neighbouring community and made fun of "the shwa" all the time! Even people living in Oshawa make fun of themselves sometimes! Thanks for the chuckle!