1. Our Souls Look Back and Wonder: Reflections on Belonging and Being Invisible in Medicine
- Author
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Gonzalez-Flores, Alicia, Clay, Wendy, Madzia, Juliana, Harry-Hernandez, Salem, and Henderson, David
- Subjects
Health Services and Systems ,Health Sciences ,Generic health relevance ,Good Health and Well Being ,Humans ,Communication ,Diversity ,Equity ,Inclusion ,Education ,Medical ,Emotions ,Health Disparate ,Minority and Vulnerable Populations ,Health Personnel ,Health Workforce ,Personnel Selection ,Personnel Turnover ,Public Health ,Social Determinants of Health ,Social Isolation ,Social Marginalization ,Students ,Medical ,Physicians ,belonging ,diversity ,medical education ,workforce ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Studies in Human Society ,General & Internal Medicine ,Biomedical and clinical sciences ,Health sciences ,Human society - Abstract
Addressing the unequal impact of health disparities on historically marginalized communities is a top public health priority. Diversifying the work force has been lauded as key to addressing this challenge. Contributing to diversity in the workforce is the recruitment and retention of health professionals previously excluded and underrepresented in medicine. A major obstacle to retention, however, is the unequal way in which health professionals experience the learning environment. Through this perspective of 4 generations of physicians and medical students, the authors seek to highlight the similarities that have persisted over 40 years in the experiences of being underrepresented in medicine. Through a series of conversations and reflective writing, the authors reveal themes that spanned generations. Two common themes among the authors are the feeling of not belonging and feeling invisible. This is experienced in various aspects of medical education and academic careers. The lack of representation, unequal expectations, and over taxation contributes to the feeling of not belonging, leading to emotional, physical, and academic fatigue. Feeling invisible, yet paradoxically being hyper-visible, is also common. Despite the challenges, the authors conclude with a sense of hope for the future, if not for them, for the generations to come.
- Published
- 2023