Latinas in medicine experience high rates of discrimination and mental health struggles, especially during medical training, according to survey results published in BMC Medical Education.
Researchers hope the findings will create needed interventions to support Latinas in medical training and reduce “the existing exodus” of this population from the field of medicine.
Online survey
Studies that focus specifically on Latinas in medical training are severely lacking in the literature, leaving their experiences and specific challenges out of conversations when addressing the current state of medical training, Gabriella Geiger, BS, an MD student at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told Healio.
“Even with efforts to increase diversity within medicine, the percentage of practicing physicians who identify as Latina continues to be incredibly low,” Geiger continued. “This is concerning because the Hispanic/Latino population is one of the fastest growing groups in the United States, and studies have shown that racial concordance between physician and patient leads to better outcomes, making it increasingly important to increase the diversity of the physician workforce .”
“Another surprising finding was that most participants indicated that struggles with depression, anxiety, burnout, imposter syndrome and experiences with discrimination happened most frequently during medical school.
For this reason, Geiger and colleagues aimed to shed light on the experiences that Latinas face during medical training and identify aspects that may be leading to attrition both during medical training and throughout the career trajectory.
Between June 22 and Aug. 12, 2022, researchers privately distributed an anonymous, 65-question, online survey via email to Latino Medical Student Association chapters across 22 medical schools nationwide, and via Twitter to women who “self-identified as a Hispanic/ Latina” in the process of completing or completed medical school, residency or fellowship in the continental U.S. during the past 10 years.
The survey included multiple choice and open-ended questions that inquired about experiences during medical training, including discrimination, mental health, burnout and imposter syndrome.
Experiences
Overall, 230 Hispanic/Latina women (46.9% medical students) responded.
Results showed 54.5% (95% CI, 47.8-61.3) of respondents reported experiencing negative ethnicity-based interactions from patients and/or families, and 72.8% (95% CI, 66.6-78.9) reported experiencing negative interactions from other individuals in the medical field, especially during medical school (63.3%; 95% CI, 55.5-71.1).
Most (84.8%; 95% CI, 80-89.7) reported experiencing instances where others assumed them to be nursing staff, janitors and food service providers.
Of note, 76.2% (95% CI, 70.4-82.1) of respondents reported depression and 92.6% (95% CI, 89-96.2) reported anxiety during training.
Results also showed high rates of imposter syndrome (90.7%; 95% CI, 86.7-94.7) and burnout (87.4%; 95% CI, 82.8-91.9).
“Another surprising finding was that most participants indicated that struggles with depression, anxiety, burnout, imposter syndrome and experiences with discrimination happened most frequently during medical school. When asked to indicate when these experiences occurred, medical school was by far the phase of training where Latinas faced the most challenges.”
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