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Background: Despite increased recruitment of Latina medical students, the percentage of Latina physicians has remained stagnant, suggesting unique retentive barriers affecting this population. Discriminatory experiences involving bias may contribute to difficulties in the retention and advancement of Latinas in medicine. This qualitative analysis aimed to explore thematic barriers prevalent among Latinas throughout their medical training in the United States. Methods: An anonymous online survey was distributed to Latinas in the continental United States from June 22 to August 12, 2022. Eligibility criteria included self‐identifying as Hispanic/Latina, female/woman, and being currently enrolled in or graduated from medical school, residency, or fellowship in the United States in the past 10 years. Content and thematic analyses were done on 602 responses across seven open‐ended survey questions. Results: Data were categorized into three main themes: (1) barriers stemming from limited social, cultural, and financial capital; (2) experiences of discrimination, bias, and perceptions of being undervalued; and (3) burdens resulting in notable mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. Many women questioned their place in medicine throughout training and the value of the sacrifice and trauma endured. Conclusion: This is the first qualitative study evaluating the experiences of Latinas throughout medical training, revealing that they experience disproportionate barriers and discriminatory experiences from both colleagues and patients. Despite calls to enhance institutional climates of diversity, there continues to be an acute need for the reform of medical education to promote an inclusive culture and provide adequate mentorship to marginalized trainees. Despite improvements in recruitment of Latina medical students, the percentage of Latina physicians has remained stagnant, suggesting unique barriers to retention and career advancement. This is the first qualitative study to evaluate the experiences of Latinas throughout medical training, revealing experiences of disproportionate barriers and discriminatory experiences. Plain Language Summary: Latinos make up approximately 20% of the US population, yet only 3% of practicing physicians in the United States identify as Latina.There have been increasing efforts to increase diversity among medical school matriculants, but the percentage of Latina physicians remains stagnant, suggesting barriers to retaining and advancing Latinas in the medical field.Our qualitative study is the first of its kind to describe the experience of Latinas in medical education in the United States. We highlight thematic barriers to this population's success and detail the biases they face throughout medical training that culminated in substantial mental health inflictions for Latinas in medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient-centered care (PCC) is an essential component of high-quality health, yet patients with non-English language preferences (NELP) experience worse PCC outcomes. Additionally, there are likely unique aspects to PCC for patients with NELP in the emergency department (ED). To inform the development of strategies to improve PCC for NELP in the ED, we sought to understand how Spanish-speaking ED patients experience care and the factors that influenced their perceptions of the patient-centeredness of that care., Methods: We conducted a single-center qualitative study using semistructured interviews with adult, Spanish-speaking patients who had been discharged home from the ED. Interviews were conducted using an interview guide, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed iteratively in Spanish using inductive and deductive thematic analysis., Results: We conducted 19 interviews with participants from 24 to 72 years old. Participants were born in seven different Spanish-speaking countries. Participants identified three domains of PCC: patient, medical team's skills, and system. Several of the identified themes such as shared decision making, open communication, compassionate care, and coordination of follow-up care are often incorporated into PCC definitions. However, other themes, including uncertainty leading to fear, use of professional interpreters to promote understanding, receiving equitable care, technical proficiency, and efficiency of care expand upon existing domains in PCC definitions., Conclusions: We now have a more nuanced understanding of how Spanish-speaking patients with NELP experience PCC in the ED and what matters to them. Several of the themes identified in this analysis add details about what matters to patients within the domains of previous PCC definitions. This suggests that the conceptualization of PCC may vary based on the setting where care is provided and the population who is receiving this care. Future work should consider patient population and setting when conceptualizing PCC., (© 2024 The Author(s). Academic Emergency Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.)