Race & Medicine

Caucusing Activity

White Physician Privilege

 
 

Pre-work

Quiet room with enough chairs/space for all participants. If you have a group larger than ~6 people, chairs should ideally be mobile so people can break into small groups and then join the large group again.

Supplies

Activity

  • Read “caucusing guidelines” to the group

    • If you have a group that includes multiple levels of medical hierarchy (medical students, residents, attendings, nurses, MAs…) consider explicitly pointing out that expertise in medicine does not equate to expertise on issues of race and equity. One example, “For this exercise, experience and expertise may flip from how they are in clinic or on the wards. The attendings in the room may be the learners today and an MA may be the expert. Let’s recognize that we are all here to learn, share, and challenge each other.”

  • Break into small groups.

    • Group size may depend on the size of your large group. We have found that groups of 3-4 work well. Breaking into small groups allows people to be more vulnerable than they might be in a large group. It also makes it challenging to not participate.

    • Consider the make up of your group and how you might do this. Do you want mixed groups that include all levels (ex. student, intern, attending) or would it be helpful to break into groups that might be more comfortable for challenging discussions (ex. group attendings, students, residents separately)? Are the groups assigned in advance or do you have your group “count off” and then group by number (all the “1s” together, “2s” together, etc.)?

  • Discussion questions

    • Have you had similar experiences to those disclosed in the two articles?

    • How did you feel reading the “catalog of unearned privilege in medical training” in “White Privilege in a White Coat: How Racism Shaped my Medical Education”?

    • What stood out for you?

    • What emotions came up for you reading these articles? Some common emotions might include denial, shame, guilt, embarrassment, defensiveness, or self-righteousness.

    • What other examples of white privilege in medicine can you think of?

    • Encourage the group to avoid focusing on the actions, statements, or inactions or others. Ask group members to use “I” statements and focus on their own actions, statements, or inactions.

  • Report back

    • Ask each group to share some highlights of what they discussed with the large group.