Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Jan 2021)

“Make the Implicit Explicit”: Measuring Perceptions of Gender Bias and Creating a Gender Bias Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents

  • Chatterjee P,
  • Warner LN,
  • Basil MC,
  • Christopher M,
  • Manning K,
  • Fisher HN,
  • Rexrode KM,
  • Solomon SR,
  • Kakoza RM,
  • Yialamas MA

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 12
pp. 49 – 52

Abstract

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Paula Chatterjee,1 Lindsay N Warner,2 Maria C Basil,1 Michelle Christopher,3 Katharine Manning,4 Herrick N Fisher,4 Kathryn M Rexrode,4 Sonja R Solomon,4 Rose M Kakoza,5 Maria A Yialamas4 1Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Department of Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA; 3Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA; 4Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 5Department of Primary Care and Community Medicine, Christiana Care, Wilmington, DE, USACorrespondence: Paula ChatterjeeDepartment of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 423 Guardian Drive, Room 1318, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USATel +1 (215) 573-9468Email [email protected]: Gender bias in clinical training has been well established; however, little is known about how perceptions differ between men and women. Furthermore, few curricular options have been developed to discuss gender bias.Objective: To measure the prevalence of gender bias, examine qualitative differences between men and women, and create a gender bias curriculum for internal medicine residents.Methods: We surveyed 114 residents (response rate of 53.5%) to identify the prevalence and types of gender bias experienced in training. We compared estimates between genders and organized qualitative results into shared themes. We then developed a curriculum to promote and normalize discussions of gender bias.Results: Among surveyed residents, 61% reported personal experiences of gender bias during training, with 98% of women and 19% of men reporting experiences when stratified by gender. We identified two domains in which gender bias manifested: role misidentification and a difficult working environment. Residents identified action items that led to the development of a gender bias curriculum. The curriculum includes didactic conferences and training sessions, a microaggression response toolkit, dinners for men and women residents, participation in a WhatsApp support group, and participation in academic projects related to gender bias in training.Conclusion: We confirmed a wide prevalence of gender bias and developed a scalable curriculum for gender bias training. Future work should explore the long-term impacts of these interventions.Keywords: graduate medical education, curriculum development, survey

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