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Professionalism: The Wrong Tool to Solve the Right Problem?
Victoria Frye1, Marlene Camacho-Rivera, Kaliris Salas-Ramirez
1V. Frye is associate medical professor, Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York; ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3239-7201. M. Camacho-Rivera is assistant professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, SUNY Downstate School of Public Health, Brooklyn, New York. K. Salas-Ramirez is assistant medical professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York. T. Albritton is assistant medical professor, Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York; ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7592-4318. D. Deen is distinguished lecturer, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York. N. Sohler is associate medical professor, Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York. S. Barrick is lecturer and director, Humanities in Medicine Program, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York. J. Nunes is medical professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Program in Biomedical Education, New York, New York.
Professionalism in medical education may help address racism but is insufficient alone. Defining racism and avoiding performative professionalism are key challenges for medical schools.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Social Justice in Medicine
- Higher Education Policy
Background:
- Medical institutions are addressing campus and systemic racism.
- Student groups advocate for curriculum changes.
- Professionalism is explored as a response to racism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the role of professionalism in addressing racism in medical education.
- To identify concerns regarding professionalism's application to anti-racism efforts.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of professionalism in the context of racism.
- Identification and discussion of three core concerns.
Main Results:
- Differing definitions of racism (individual acts vs. institutional).
- Professionalism as a potential tool for social control.
- Risk of performative professionalism over genuine commitment.
Conclusions:
- Professionalism can supplement holistic anti-racism strategies in medical schools.
- Professionalism alone is inadequate for tackling systemic racism and white supremacy.
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