From the classroom to the delivery room, future health care professionals must work to combat racial disparities in health care
By: Danoya Thomas, Opinion Contributor
CW: Medical racism, historical trauma, neglect in health care
The strength of a Black woman is not a result of genetics or natural processes. It emerged from the need to overcome systemic racism, biases and inequities that stem from a history of slavery and institutionalized racism—issues that permeate every aspect of our lives. This is especially apparent within health care, where we consistently experience neglect and poor treatment, negatively impacting both quality of life and life expectancy.
To understand present-day struggles, a look to the past is necessary. Parts of modern-day gynecology were built on the exploitation of slavery, when J. Marion Sims’ experiments on the bodies of Black women were performed without consent, enabled by the subjugation of bondage. These experiments were done to cure vesicovaginal fistulas.
However, the added horror of these experiences was in the absence of anesthesia for Black women, while their white counterparts received both anesthesia and consent.
The effects of this did not end with Sims’ experiments; medical racism has been propelled into the 20th and 21st centuries, shaping health care policies that dictate bias training, diverse hiring, treatment guidelines, insurance coverage and many other factors that continue to affect Black patient health.
This message is for anyone entering a health care profession; acknowledging this history is about more than dwelling on past injustices. It’s about using this knowledge to fuel you. It’s about using it to examine how subtle yet significant your contributions will be in addressing and minimizing the shortcomings of racism in a health care system that you will soon be a part of.
According to a CBC documentary article by Amanda Parris, little data is collected in Canada on the experiences of Black patients in health care.
“Unfortunately, these experts on the front lines in Canada don't have the stats to back up their day-to-day observations because in most of the country (except for Nova Scotia), there is a refusal to track race-based health data,” wrote Parris.
Refusing to collect race-based health data makes it increasingly difficult to identify, measure and address health disparities. As a result, this impedes progress and advocacy for change.
The absence of publicly accessible data further highlights the systemic neglect faced by Black women. Keeping crucial information hidden prevents necessary awareness and action, further perpetuating the reduced resources and attention needed to create safe hospitals for us and reinforcing informational barriers.
The relationship between patients and practitioners significantly influences how Black women experience treatment when they are at their most vulnerable. Because of this, doctors, nurses, physician assistants, therapists, midwives and all others involved in patient care play a major role in Black health advocacy and in the treatment Black patients receive.
Racial bias leads to the dismissal of pain in Black patients. But for Black women, racial stereotypes further compound this neglect, allowing sexism and racism to intersect in life-threatening ways.
Pulmonary embolism is one of many fatal post-labour complications often disregarded in Black women, as seen in Serena Williams’ harrowing experience after childbirth. Despite a history of the condition, her medical team dismissed her symptoms, even as she lost consciousness and coughed so violently that it tore her stitches.
Yet, it wasn’t these life-threatening signs that led to proper care. Only when she demanded specific tests did doctors finally act. Shockingly, the very professionals with decades of training to save lives failed her—until she strongly advocated for the care she knew she needed.
To McMaster students aspiring to enter health care, this is a terrible reality that you must work to change. The responsibility lies not only with policymakers or hospital administration, but also with the individuals caring for patients directly.
Listening, believing and taking Black patients’ concerns seriously, the first time, could be the difference between life and death. As future practitioners, will you be part of the problem or the solution?
Listening, believing and taking Black patients’ concerns seriously, the first time, could be the difference between life and death.
For now, students can educate themselves on medical racism by going beyond the rudimentary information covered in classrooms. This means seeking out further readings, engaging with Black health advocacy groups, challenging biases through advocacy with MSU’s education department and more.
Call out professors and peers who perpetuate misinformation and biases, because as the saying goes, “First, do no harm.” You must be willing to confront racism wherever it appears.
"First, do no harm.” You must be willing to confront racism wherever it appears.
This year's annual IRISE Conference will explore how to create better healthcare through racial equity, medical justice and amplifying Black voices in the field
The Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster will host their seventh annual iRISE Conference on Jan. 25, 2025. This year the conference will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in L.R. Wilson Hall room 1055 at McMaster University and focuses on the theme of decolonizing patient care.
BAP-MAC is an MSU club that promotes inclusivity & supports Black students aspiring to work in the healthcare field. Harmela Celestin, co-president of BAP-MAC, explained the role of their club.
"We're basically a resource to connect students to different opportunities and provide mentorship to help cultivate the skills and competencies that they need to pursue their aspirations in healthcare. And we don't limit ourselves to medicine, even though we are the Black Aspiring Physicians," said Celestin.
Akudo Eze-Onuorah, another co-president of BAP-MAC, spoke about the large turnout the conference receives each year. "It ranges from 90 to 120," said Eze-Onuorah.
The conference is open to everyone and tickets are available for purchase to the general public.
"Everyone is invited, the good thing about our conference is that we base it in aspiration towards health care like healthcare professions . . . We want our audience to be reflective of a community who is striving towards a more equitable healthcare landscape," said Celestin.
We want our audience to be reflective of a community who is striving towards a more equitable healthcare landscape.
Harmela Celestin, Co-President
Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster
Attendees can expect a full itinerary of both professional and student panels, a keynote speaker, networking opportunities, workshops, breakfast, lunch and LinkedIn headshots. "Early bird tickets are going on now. It's six dollars and 70 cents and then after the early bird sale it's going to be eight dollars," said Celestin.
Dr. Onye Nnorom is this year's keynote speaker. The student panelists are Danielle Pinder who is a first-year medical student at McMaster University, Fatim Kalogo who is a first-year student in the physician assistant program at McMaster University and Lulwama Mulalu who is a Global Health PhD candidate.
The professional panelists are Dionne Sinclair who is a chief nursing executive, Dr. Kwasi Nkansah who is an emergency medicine resident and Hillaree Alliman who is a registered psychotherapist.
"We're going to be asking them questions as a panel that are related to our theme of decolonizing patient care. Now they [student panelists] will offer a student perspective as people who are more relatable to our undergraduate audience and our high school audience and offer their perspectives as people pursuing their degrees before we go into another panel later in the day of professionals who are currently practicing in the healthcare field," said Celestin.
There will be two workshops that provide attendees with the opportunity to get more hands on experience, including a suture workshop.
"We bring in practicing physicians to instruct a workshop where students have the opportunity to actually suture themselves, they learn how to suture and how to do different suturing procedures on suturing kits that we provide them . . . in addition to that, new to this year we have a workshop with a specific organization called African, Caribbean and Black Organ Health. So we're going to have students interact with a donor transplant case study and kind of speak directly with that or explore the patient interaction experience," said Celestin.
Celestin discussed the significance of hosting the conference annually. "We have the iRISE Conference every year to increase the awareness of these different professions to connect students with professionals who are currently leaders in their fields. And really just to showcase and celebrate all the different black leaders who are innovators in their fields and were pursuing different themes that align with our iRISE Conference," said Celestin.
Eze-Onuorah explained the importance of iRISE being open to all races when engaging in this year's theme of decolonizing patient care.
"We want to make this open to everybody because we feel it shouldn't be just Black people talking about Black people's issues. This should be discussed everywhere so people are knowledgeable. Because we say that the people that are non-BIPOC don't know about BIPOC issues. But if we keep segregating ourselves and not let them know about our issues, how would they know. How would they get information when it's not given to them . . . everyone's invited to come for iRISE so that they can hear about issues that might not just be very visible to them.," said Eze-Onuorah.
We want to make this open to everybody because we feel it shouldn't be just Black people talking about Black people's issues. This should be discussed everywhere so people are knowledgeable.
Akudo Eze-Onuorah, Co-President
Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster
Eze-Onuorah discussed what she hopes resonates with attendees. "I want them to walk out of the conference, knowing that there's more than just medicine. Because before I thought that being a physician was working in hospital and it was nurse or doctor period . . . If there is anything I want them to know, [it is] that there are more different ways that they could help people," said Eze-Onuorah.
If you are interested in what the conference has to offer, you can buy your ticket online and enjoy a full day of thought-provoking discussions, inspiring journeys, hands-on workshops and more. You can keep up with BAP-MAC's Instagram for more details on the conference and future opportunities to aid your academic experience at McMaster.
Nursing students are struggling to meet the challenges of COVID-19 and aren’t receiving much support
By: Maxine Juneau, Contributor
There is no question that the shift to online classes and the COVID-19 pandemic have hit students hard this semester. Many are struggling to adjust to the new format and keep up with the course expectations despite the inability to access in-person student support and resources. Nursing and midwifery students are in an especially unique position this year as many continue to have in-person clinical placements.
At the start of the pandemic, there were questions on whether or not nursing students would proceed with in-person placements. With practical skills and patient interaction being such a vital part of the program, many students questioned if we would even be able to meet program requirements without clinical experience. More questions arose as other nursing schools across the province announced that they would be transitioning to virtual placements.
However, the Faculty of Nursing at McMaster University moved forward with level three and four placements starting on schedule in the fall term and level two placements starting in the winter term. While many students are grateful to have the opportunity to work on the frontlines, others are struggling to meet the challenges and stresses that COVID-19 presents.
In a recent Spotted at Mac post, an anonymous nursing student asked if anyone else was feeling uncomfortable about in-person clinical placements with COVID-19 cases spiking. They expressed how they were worried because a classmate had recently caught COVID at their placement.
While these fears are perfectly valid, fellow nursing students and recent graduates were quick to remind them that they had “signed up for it.” Many replied with comments such as, “well, as long as you wear your personal protective equipment, you will be okay.”
These kinds of comments that say this is “part of the job” are dismissive of the ways that COVID has negatively impacted nursing students. They don’t even begin to recognize that some students may not have a choice in whether or not they can take a semester off. While as students we decided to go into the semester knowing that COVID would be a factor, nobody could have predicted the different ways that it has impacted us.
This pandemic has affected the mental health of many students, including nursing students. Students are worried about catching COVID at clinical and passing it along to their family and friends. They are also worried about accidentally bringing it into the clinical setting or passing it between patients and why shouldn’t they be? They are seeing friends and family catch it, they are seeing patients suffer from it and they are seeing outbreaks on their own units.
Students are worried about catching COVID at clinical and passing it along to their family and friends. They are also worried about accidentally bringing it into the clinical setting or passing it between patients and why shouldn’t they be? They are seeing friends and family catch it, they are seeing patients suffer from it and they are seeing outbreaks on their own units.
Clinical anxiety is something that many students experience even during a normal year. Lying awake in bed the night before not being able to get a wink of sleep, feeling like you’re going to throw up from nerves when you step on the floor. Even having to take a deep breath to slow your heart before going into a patient’s room are all normal parts of being a nursing student. Now, the fears and anxieties of COVID have been added on top and students are struggling to cope.
Even many registered nurses these days are struggling to cope with the stresses of COVID-19. The International Council of Nurses recently reported that nurses with COVID patients suffer from burnout and psychological distress. Many health care workers, including health science students, have had to face the pandemic while also self-isolating from friends and families. Even with all the public support for health care workers, there is no denying the mental health pressures this pandemic has brought.
Yes, masks help. Yes, we made the decision to go into this semester. Yes, it is part of the nurse’s role. Still, we are nursing students first and foremost. Many of us are still learning to cope with the pressures of the clinical setting. Many of us are still just trying to keep up with classes. Now, we are being asked to put on a brave front and face the pandemic head-on? Nursing students are struggling to meet the challenges of COVID-19 and more needs to be done to support them.
To any nursing students that are reading this, I want to let you know that you are not alone. Any fears and anxieties you may be having are completely valid and there are many of us who stand beside you. If you ever need someone to talk to there are resources out there for you. We are all in this together and never feel afraid to reach out!
Mental health resources:
→ Good2Talk — https://good2talk.ca/
→ McMaster University Student Wellness Centre — https://wellness.mcmaster.ca/
→ Wellness Together Canada — https://ca.portal.gs/
→ Barrett Centre for Crisis Support — https://www.goodshepherdcentres.ca/services/barrett-centre-for-crisis-support/
