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Evaluation

Practice Related Session Proposals

In-Training/Early Career

Navigating Inappropriate/Unethical/Biased Situations

Friday, November 17, 2023
1:45 PM – 3:00 PM CT
Location: CC R06 - R07
In-Person

    Session Director(s)

  • Alpha T. Anders, MD (he/him/his)

    Resident, PGY4
    Louisiana State University PM&R Program
    New Orleans, Louisiana

    No financial relationships to disclose.

  • Nova Hou, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

    Pediatric Rehabilitation Fellow
    Northwestern University/Shirley Ryan Ability Lab
    Chicago, Illinois

    No financial relationships to disclose.

  • Onyinyechi R. Chidomere, MD (she/her/hers)

    Resident Physician
    Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
    Henrico, Virginia

    No financial relationships to disclose.

  • Farah S. Hussain, MD

    Resident physician
    Emory University School of Medicine PM&R Program
    Atlanta, Georgia

    No financial relationships to disclose.

  • Heidi Chen, MD

    Resident
    New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell) PM&R Program
    New York, New York

    No financial relationships to disclose.

    • Faculty(s)

  • Hannah Haddad (she/her/hers)

    PGY-1
    Louisiana State University PM&R Residency Program
    New Orleans, Louisiana

    No financial relationships to disclose.

The objective of this session is to stimulate reflection and dialogue about important topics physiatrists face including how to have difficult conversations and navigate workplace environments that may involve inappropriate, biased, and unethical situations. We will discuss advocating for trainees and minority providers’ lived experiences in the workplace and reframing challenging patient and caregiver behaviors in clinical settings. Other topics for discussion may include: addressing ableism, racism, sexism, and sizeism in medicine, receiving negative/unhelpful feedback from supervisors, caring for patients with inappropriate behaviors secondary to brain injury or intellectual disability, addressing patients who need to be fired (e.g. for disrespecting staff or inappropriate medication use), working with industry providers, and recommending procedures and medications that have no clear clinical indication. There will be both small group breakout discussions followed by large group debriefings. Participants will have the option to share their own experiences or discuss pre-selected anonymized cases of real life inappropriate, unethical, and biased situations. Participants will be encouraged to share how they perceive each case and how they would approach handling each situation.

Co-authored by Rachel Anderson, MD and Zachary Richard, MD.

Learning Objectives:

  • Recognize various types of inappropriate, biased, and unethical situations.
  • Discuss how to use language and how to practice medicine that does not reinforce existing biases and disparities in physiatry.
  • Identify opportunities to de-escalate difficult clinical or workplace encounters to enable constructive collaboration.