The Department of Medical Education feels compelled to identify and address racism within ourselves, within the structures of healthcare education and clinical work, and within our community. Our anti-discrimination work is predicated on the mission of Providence Health to serve the poor and the vulnerable. Our actions are shaped by our core values of compassion, justice, and dignity. We recognize the critical importance of intersectionality in this work. We attend to the impact of a variety of identities, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, spiritual orientation, gender identity, sexual orientation, SES, size, and ability.
All faculty, residents and staff are invited to participate in the planning and implementation of this work. Ongoing initiatives include:
Recruiting and Retention: We believe recruiting and nurturing diverse members of our medical education community benefits the health care we deliver. This informs our recruitment of residents, faculty and staff. Currently, we are focused on mentorship for residents that addresses their professional needs in entering residency and on actively welcoming residents coming to live in Portland.
Diversity Dialogues: Workshops focusing on identifying and responding to microaggressions and a variety of other anti-racism topics. Facilitated group discussion includes all clinic staff, residents and faculty. The conversations and the role plays develop greater understanding and improve skills for creating a welcoming environment in the clinic, hospital, and the conference room.
Microaggression Reduction and Responding: Having developed a tracking / reporting mechanism for microaggressions experienced by residents, staff, and faculty, this year's work focuses on developing language and culture that helps us address, in real time, microaggressions as they occur. Whether experiencing, witnessing, or even committing a microaggression, we want everyone connected to the residency to have the tools needed to respond in a constructive manner that step by step builds a welcoming and nurturing environment.
Clinical Experiences: We have developed grant funding to support two sub-intern scholarships with housing, transportation and food for URiM medical students at PPMC each summer. Additionally we partner with MedStaircase, a non-profit in Oregon promoting healthcare careers for under-represented students, to provide clinical observership opportunities for pre-medical students within our residency.
Community Partnerships: Bringing medicine and health education to marginalized communities through health fairs and presentations, as requested by local groups. Faculty and residents are involved in these efforts.
