Description
Diversity amongst health professions education (HPE) students and healthcare professionals is of fundamental importance for promoting excellence in health education and care. Research* shows that diversity prepares HPE students for their role as care providers in a diverse society, and results in an improved educational experience for all students.Diversity amongst health professions education (HPE) students and healthcare professionals is of fundamental importance for promoting excellence in health education and care. Research* shows that diversity prepares HPE students for their role as care providers in a diverse society, and results in an improved educational experience for all students. A diverse workforce in the health professions is linked to improved patient satisfaction, better communication and understanding between care provider and patient, improved culturally-sensitive care, and the promotion of health equity. Diversity amongst HPE students is therefore of great importance for society.
Lianne Mulder: Selection leads to increased inequality of opportunity in admission and decreased student diversity, but lottery is no solution
The cohorts trained to become health professionals are often not representative of the populations they serve. A retrospective multi-cohort study by Lianne Mulder (PhD student, Research in Education, Amsterdam UMC) and colleagues (with Statistics Netherlands microdata of >600.000 individuals) shows that since the transition from lottery-based to selection-based admission into Dutch HPE programs, applicants’ background characteristics increasingly play a significant role in their odds of admission. However, their data also show that although selection is associated with increased inequality of opportunity in admission, returning to a lottery system is not a solution to achieve a representative HPE student population, due to a lack of diversity in the applicant pool. Lianne will present this research and discuss its implications in the field of student selection.
Dr. Ulviye Isik: What are the barriers that students from ethnic minorities face during their medical education, and what can we do about it?
Next to inequality of opportunity in admission, research by dr. Ulviye Isik shows that students also face barriers once they are admitted, based on their background. In her PhD thesis, she aimed to find out the factors and experiences influencing the motivation and academic performance of ethnic minority (medical) students, using quantitative as well as qualitative studies. Ulviye will present the findings and implications of her thesis, which can be used to develop interventions to stimulate and help medical students from different ethnic backgrounds to perform to their full potential.
Dr. Jamiu Busari: Living up to the (un)hidden prejudices about race and diversity in our medical education and health care systems
Physicians, nurses, and paramedical staff, with a migration background regularly encounter prejudice and discrimination in their daily work. There is the assumption that a dominant white culture persists within medical education and clinical practice. During clinical rotations or research internships, students with a migration background often feel like outsiders, as if they do not belong. As a result, fewer doctors with a migration background progress in their careers to become medical specialists. Because of their ethnic origins, many doctors and healthcare professionals of color experience (unconscious) biases and discrimination in their work environment. This phenomenon often manifests itself in micro-aggressions, inappropriate comments, and jokes that are difficult to avoid or ignore. In this presentation, we shall explore the (hidden) prejudices in health care systems. Finally, we shall appraise the (adverse) impact of a dominant 'white culture' within health care delivery and education.
The three speakers will showcase that it will take a sustained effort by all of us, to eliminate inequalities in the long road to becoming a health professional, and to create an inclusive study and work environment in which all (aspiring) health professionals can thrive. Come and join us!
* references available upon request
| Period | 5 Oct 2021 |
|---|---|
| Held at | LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. |
| Degree of Recognition | National |