An Innovative Approach to Navigating Microaggressions in Medical Education Settings

Microaggressions negatively affect the experiences of medical students, especially those from minoritized groups, indicating the need for heightened awareness and open dialogue. The increasing recognition of the potential harm caused by such behaviors has led to a call for educational strategies that enable medical students to identify and address microaggressions effectively. This report details an innovative approach designed to navigate the complexities of microaggressions within medical education settings.

In December 2023, 2 senior medical educators facilitated an in-person lecture, which consisted of short videos cocreated with students, interactive online surveys, and a presentation. The lecture aimed to enable third-year medical students at Imperial College School of Medicine to describe and recognize microaggressions and other forms of inappropriate behavior, understand the impact of microaggressions in medical education settings, develop problem-solving skills to challenge inappropriate behavior, and differentiate the informal and formal mechanisms to raise concerns.

The final data set consisted of 183 participants. Participants reported increases in confidence in identifying microaggressions (median [IQR], 4.00 [3.00-4.00] before vs 4.00 [4.00-5.00] after intervention; P < .001), understanding their potential effect on affected individuals (median [IQR], 4.00 [3.00-5.00] before vs 5.00 [4.00-5.00] after intervention; P < .001), and feeling better equipped to challenge inappropriate experienced (median [IQR], 2.00 [2.00-3.00] before vs 3.00 [2.00-4.00] after intervention; P < .001) or witnessed (median [IQR], 3.00 [2.00-3.00] before vs 4.00 [3.00-4.00] after intervention; P < .001) behaviors. They also reported increases in confidence in seeking support from their peers if they experienced (median [IQR], 4.00 [3.00-5.00] before vs 4.00 [4.00-5.00] after intervention; P < .001) or witnessed (median [IQR], 4.00 [3.00-4.00] before vs 4.00 [3.00-5.00] after intervention; P < .001) microaggressions.

Next steps include integrating small group workshops on microaggressions into curricula and adapting these interventions for other health care professionals.