Responding to Interprofessional Microaggressions: Bystander Training-A Virtual Simulation Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents.

Introduction: Literature demonstrates the detrimental impact of discrimination and microaggressions at personal and institutional levels in the health care workplace. Residents in our program requested curricula to help with addressing manifestations of bias. In response, we designed and implemented an adaptable and reproducible 4-hour virtual simulation session aimed at helping residents identify and constructively respond to microaggressions. Methods: This curriculum, influenced by a preceding needs assessment, was delivered to 68 senior internal medicine residents. It began with a didactic overview to establish foundational knowledge of bias. This was followed by a workshop focused on strategies to address microaggressions. The session culminated with skills practice in a virtual simulation activity where learners addressed microaggressions as bystanders in realistic case scenarios employing simulated participants. We administered pre- and postevaluation individual key-linked surveys assessing learner confidence in responding to microaggressions. Results: A total of 68 residents participated in the curriculum over two academic years, 27 of whom provided complete data for analysis. Overall, there was a statistically significant increase in learner confidence identifying microaggressions. As both a bystander and target/recipient of microaggressions, there were statistically significant increases in learner confidence addressing gender-based microaggressions, race-based microaggressions, and microaggressions reflecting other types of bias. Furthermore, there were statistically significant increases in learner confidence addressing microaggressions in low-acuity contexts, high-acuity contexts, across interprofessional disciplines, with a supervisor, and with a supervisee. Discussion: Our virtual experiential curriculum on responding to microaggressions can help increase learner confidence in addressing microaggressions.

How to Launch and Continually Enhance an Effective Medical Campus Faculty Development Program: Steps for Implementation and Lessons Learned.

PURPOSE: Drawing on the decade of experience of Boston University Medical Campus' Faculty Development Office, this paper reports strategies used to launch and continually improve faculty development programming within an academic health sciences campus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors explain the steps that Boston University Medical Campus took to institute their set of faculty development programs, including an overview of resources on how to periodically conduct needs assessments, engage key institutional stakeholders, design and evaluate an array of programming to meet the needs of a diverse faculty, and institute real-time program modifications. RESULTS: In a step-by-step guide, and by highlighting vital lessons learned, the authors describe a process by which biomedical educators can create and sustain a robust faculty development office within their own institutions. CONCLUSION: This paper identifies steps to launch and improve faculty development program. Faculty development programs should be expanded to support faculty in academic medical centers.