diversity

Last night the residents gathered for a retreat. An intern brought up the issue of the horrible attitudes some residents have toward our clinic population. No one really heard her comment. The chiefs immediately got defensive and nothing was accomplished. However, I'm really glad she voiced an observation that has been made by many, including myself. The truth is, the residents talk about our clinic patients as though they were something less than human at times. It's true that some of our patients can be challenging to deal with because of their social issues, but there is really no excuse for the racist and elitist culture that permeates this program. I have never been in an environment where such hateful, disrespectful speech is tolerated.