Exploring the impact of microaggressions on the genetic counseling student-supervisor relationship: A qualitative study.

Genetic counseling students with minoritized identities have reported experiencing microaggressions throughout graduate training, including from fieldwork supervisors. However, the impacts of these fieldwork experiences have not been thoroughly investigated. As supervision is known to be integral to genetic counseling students' skill development and success, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of microaggressions on student training, with a specific focus on the supervisory working alliance. To achieve this goal, we conducted 11 interviews with recent genetic counseling graduates (2019-2021) who reported experiencing at least one microaggression from a fieldwork supervisor during graduate school training. Purposive sampling was used to prioritize interviewees who identified as underrepresented in the field due to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or disability status. All interviewees were initially recruited as part of a larger mixed-methods study investigating the frequency and types of microaggressions genetic counseling students experience from fieldwork supervisors. Interview questions explored the time period before a microaggression event, during the event, and after. Qualitative thematic analysis resulted in four themes, three of which are presented in this paper: (1) Impact of microaggressions, (2) Barriers to reporting microaggressions, and (3) Experience reporting microaggressions. Microaggressions from supervisors were shown to impair the psychological well-being of participants and hinder learning opportunities. These experiences led participants to question their choice of profession and avoid time in clinic, ultimately constraining the development of strong supervisory working alliances. Some participants did not report microaggressions due to fear of negative repercussions, and those who did described defensive responses which harmed students' relationships with program leadership. This study reveals opportunities for supervisors to improve student training conditions by centering students' feelings and experiences, increasing open and honest communication, and extending psychosocial tools to supervision. Additionally, graduate programs are encouraged to establish structured reporting protocols for students and evaluate current shortcomings in equity and inclusion initiatives.

Exploring the occurrence of microaggressions in the genetic counseling student-supervisor relationship: A mixed-methods study.

While research has shown that genetic counseling students with minoritized racial or ethnic identities face microaggressions throughout graduate training, quantitative data regarding the frequency of these experiences have not been reported. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the frequency and types of microaggressions experienced by graduates of accredited genetic counseling programs in the United States during fieldwork rotations. A quantitative survey was administered to assess how frequently 14 different types of microaggressions occurred in interactions with supervisors. Survey responses were analyzed using situation-based coding (the number of different types of microaggressions experienced) and frequency-based coding (the sum of participants' weighted Likert answers). Select survey respondents with minoritized identities were interviewed to better contextualize and categorize microaggression experiences. Analysis of 87 survey responses revealed that participants with minoritized racial and ethnic identities experience significantly more types of microaggressions (t(61) = 2.77; p = 0.007) at a significantly higher frequency (t(55) = 2.67; p = 0.010) than their white counterparts. Participants who identified as part of the disability community were also found to experience significantly more types of microaggressions (t(10) = 3.25; p = 0.009) at a significantly higher frequency (t(9) = 2.32; p = 0.045) than those who did not. Qualitative analysis of 11 interviews revealed that microaggressions from supervisors included offensive and inappropriate comments, unequal treatment, cultural intolerance, and disparaging feedback. Overall, our data present evidence that students with minoritized racial and ethnic identities and students with disabilities are subjected to a variety of inequitable, exclusionary, and harmful interactions. As a result, we recommend that all supervisors receive training about recognizing and preventing microaggressions to ensure that students are provided with an equitable and inclusive training experience, regardless of identity.