Black Students’ Perception of Belonging: A Focus Group Approach with Black Students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Abstract

Background 
 Finding that enrollment of Underrepresented in Medicine students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences was considerably below the national average, researchers sought to understand the experiences of minority students. The goal is to develop an academic and social support structure that sustains and attracts students of diverse backgrounds and races.
 Method
 Individual interviews of eight matriculated Black medical students and a focus group were conducted, with Institutional Review Board approval, to obtain feasible methodologies and implement change. Student's perspectives and experiences regarding their institution were investigated using qualitative thematic analysis.
 Results
 The analysis revealed six themes from the individual interviews: Experience as a minority; Admission process; Difference in backgrounds; Curriculum culture; Diversity at the school; Military medicine. The overarching message from the students was “If you don’t see yourself represented somewhere, it’s hard to believe that you belong.” The focus group made four recommendations: Add a minority viewpoint to curriculum; Add textbooks that portray black skin; Collaborate with Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Increase recruitment of Black students and faculty. 
 Conclusion
 It is hard for minority students to believe they belong in environments without the representation and infrastructure needed to support their unique needs. Implementing ideas, such as those described in this report, is an important step towards creating inclusion and equity.

Into the Unknown: Experiences of Social Newcomers Entering Medical Education

“…3,15 Meanwhile, medical students and residents who belong to these populations report experiencing strain stemming from their underrepresented status. 16,17 An expanding body of research explores experiences of medical students from underrepresented groups. [18][19][20][21] Much of this research focuses on the importance of "fitting in" to the nuclear culture of medicine 16,22 and on social and cultural challenges that diverse trainees face.…”

“…16,17 An expanding body of research explores experiences of medical students from underrepresented groups. [18][19][20][21] Much of this research focuses on the importance of "fitting in" to the nuclear culture of medicine 16,22 and on social and cultural challenges that diverse trainees face. [23][24][25] Social reproduction theory 26 suggests that individuals without preexisting ties to a profession may disproportionately struggle to develop connections in the field, and that this lack of social capital 27 could ultimately impact educational experiences, for example, by limiting access to cultural capital, the unwritten rules and skills which facilitate entrance to a new context.…”

“…3,15 Meanwhile, medical students and residents who belong to these populations report experiencing strain stemming from their underrepresented status. 16,17…”

Thinking Globally in the Pursuit of Individual Identity: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS)

“…IJMS has demonstrated this by publishing on important issues relating to gender, 3,[14][15][16] culture, [17][18][19][20] , and ethnicity. 21,22 Through our statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), we take a positive step towards representing the underrepresented and welcoming researchers, editors, authors, ambassadors, and reviewers from various communities irrespective of the abovementioned domains of diversity. We have further formulated a Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which will be tasked to improve the overall DEI status of the Journal by maintaining equity in the representation of researchers as well as in the availability of opportunities.…”

‘When I stood up for something it's because I felt a… moral violation’: Trainees' acts of resistance against social harm and injustice

“…Currently, physicians and trainees are engaged in professional resistance in various forms, such as protests, [5][6][7] rewriting their stories, 8,9 and research. 4,10,11 Rather than accepting the system, they push back to challenge the ways medicine and medical education continue to maintain asymmetrical power differences between those in positions of power and those who are at its mercy. For health professions education, acts of professional resistance were conceptualised by Ellaway and Wyatt 12 as: 'Individual and collective expressions of condemnation of social harms and injustices, with the intent of stopping them, preventing them from recurring, and/or holding those responsible to account'.…”