Broken mirrors: a trainee’s experience of racism in the workplace

I was shocked and horrified when I read the authors description of a trainee’s previous experience within General Practice. The black GP trainee was advised to ‘make himself physically smaller’ in the consultation to avoid instilling fear into white patients.

As a black GP who is over six foot in height, this trainee’s experience personally resonates with me. No individual should be made to feel inferior to another individual due to their physical attributes. I am pleased that the author pointed out the racist nature of the previous trainer’s advice.

In this year, more than ever, where there has been a renewed appetite to tackle racism in all aspects of life, it is worrying that these prejudices still exist. It is even more worrying that the perpetrator is a GP and one tasked with educating the next generation of GPs. There are so many inequalities in healthcare that affect ethnic minority doctors such as differential attainment in medical exams, the increased likelihood of being reported to the GMC and the disproportionate mortality data as a result of COVID-19.

Moving forward, the author recommends the implementation of training on race equity and increased awareness of cultural competences for GP trainers. I wholeheartedly agree with these recommendations. The GMC ‘Duties of a doctor’ and Equality Act (2010) state our professional, legal and moral obligations when it comes to discrimination against patients and colleagues.
The example in this article is clear discrimination within the workplace and was rightly challenged. However, there are many other prejudices which come in the form of microaggressions, indirect expressions of racism or unconscious biases that also occur in the workplace. Some of these acts can be harder to spot or challenge but can have an equally detrimental effect on an individual. We all have a role in empowering everyone to have the confidence to speak up and challenge such behaviours. Apathy allows racism to exist so we must all act now.