And the answer to your "You're a doctor?" is "Sure am :)" I'd like to add my $0.02 to the #iamyourdoctor conversation. It's been an incredible experience becoming a physician. You learn so much about yourself, other people and the world. You're constantly faced with new challenges where you are forced to grow. It really is one of the most unique professions because it is literally life itself, the intersection of science, psychology, sociology, economics, philosophy, all the isms you can think of and the list goes on. Medicine is a life class. I have had moments where the "You're a doctor" question was a positive experience. Beams of pride, bright smiles and strong handshakes to see that the sacrifices made on my behalf have paid off. Or times where it was just matter a fact like, "Ok, your the homie taking care of Moms. Got it. Cool". Then there are moments when the question is uncomfortable, skeptical, ignorant. Just like all the other challenges in medicine, that's been another to overcome as well...learning how to deal with implicit bias in a new way...as a physician. A colleague of mine recently published a paper in JAMA (Dr. Osseo-Asare, link in second comment) bringing attention to the experiences of residents of color. The additional stress of the experience itself is overlayed with that of the stress of maneuvering through the daily micro-insults, which as my bro @earlcampbellmd alluded to, include not being recognized for who you are even when the white coat fits, the badge says MD and the stethoscope hangs around your neck. I remember as a medical student a patient asking me how I got to be where I am. He was so confused. Poor guy. Not exposed enough. These experiences continue to highlight the impact of a lack of diversity in medicine. It also highlights the importance of building that pipeline babyyy! Shoutout to all the organizations committed to doing just that. And this is where we cue #representationmatters. Because it does. I'm waxing poetic on this night shift. 🙏🏽 and good morning.
JAMA articles:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2703945
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2703940
You can follow Dr. Davis on IG @mgdthedoc
