Developing Virtual Simulations to Confront Racism and Bias in Health Professions Education

Abstract

BackgroundBias and racism against Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) is omnipresent in health professions and healthcare. Healthcare educators indicate they need more training and resources to confidently confront racism and bias when it occurs. The purpose of this project was to apply best practices in simulation to educating healthcare educators to confronting racism and bias. MethodThis educational series was developed in consultation with experts to utilize best practices in racial and social justice simulation. A 3-hour standardized, virtual training session was developed incorporating trigger films that adhere to the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM. The training sessions were repeated monthly with different interprofessional groups of health professions educators representing the following disciplines: nursing, physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapy, and physician assistants. ResultsParticipants described this as a powerful learning experience, engaging, and liked the concrete solutions. ConclusionEffective role modeling of confronting racism and bias for learners contributes to inclusive excellence, improves Black, Indigenous and People of Color experiences, and strengthens commitment to equity in our diverse communities. This manuscript describes the development of the interprofessional educational training session using simulation incorporating trigger films.