In the minority: black physicians in residency and their experiences.
OBJECTIVE
To describe black residents' perceptions of the impact of race on medical training.


METHODS
Open-ended interviews were conducted of black physicians in postgraduate year 22 who had graduated from U.S. medical schools and were enrolled in residency programs at one medical school. Using Grounded Theory tenets of qualitative research, data was culled for common themes through repeated readings; later, participants commented on themes from earlier interviews.


RESULTS
Of 19 participants 10 were male, distributed evenly among medical and surgical fields. Four major themes emerged from the narratives: discrimination, differing expectations, social isolation and consequences. Participants' sense of being a highly visible minority permeated each theme. Overt discrimination was rare. Participants perceived blacks to be punished more harshly for the same transgression and expected to perform at lower levels than white counterparts. Participants' suspicion of racism as a motivation for individual and institutional behaviors was tempered by self-doubt. Social isolation from participants' white colleagues contrasted with connections experienced with black physicians, support staff and patients, and participants strongly desired black mentors. Consequences of these experiences varied greatly.


CONCLUSIONS
Black physicians face complex social and emotional challenges during postgraduate training. Creating supportive networks and raising awareness of these issues may improve training experiences for black physicians.
Liebschutz
Jane M
JM
Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Schools of Medicine Boston, MA, 02118, USA. jliebs@bu.edu
Darko
Godwin O
GO
Finley
Erin P
EP
Cawse
Jeanne M
JM
Bharel
Monica
M
Orlander
Jay D
JD
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D010820:Physicians; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States