Article on racism in healthcare not only timely but necessary

Your Feb. 26 cover story (“Racism: Challenging the unspoken rules” p. 12) on the effects of racial discrimination and bias on black professionals and those of other minority backgrounds getting administrative positions in hospital systems is not only relevant and timely, but necessary.

I am an African-American attorney, yet I still have to overcome biased perceptions about whether I can do my job. A majority of my friends and I have three or more degrees related to healthcare, and your article is spot on when it states that having multiple advanced degrees merely gets your foot in the door. The problem is also prevalent in the legal practice of healthcare where there is very little diversity and/or senior minority representation in law firms, government positions or in the legal affairs departments of hospital systems.

And if you are “good” enough to get the position, you end up spending as much time trying to do your job as you do overcoming and managing perceptions about you—all while watching your nonminority attorney colleagues, whose professional experience doesn’t even begin to compare to yours, receive responsibilities and professional development that is never, or disproportionately, offered to you. And because the perception of them is so great, they can do mediocre work and still be given the benefit of the doubt whereas, if I submitted the same quality of work product, I am perceived as not taking my work seriously or worse. The fact that I don’t even feel safe saying this in a comment section, sending it from my work email address, or sharing your article on my LinkedIn page further supports the article’s premise.

In sum, thank you for this article. I have shared it with all my healthcare friends and in a minority public health Facebook group I subscribe to. And I am already receiving many “I thought it was just me” responses.

Author requested anonymity