I wanted to post about two situations that happened within 24 hours of eachother about 2 weeks ago because unfortunately, situations like these do still occur, and I’m sure in some locations, more often than we realize. I should point out that this is not the norm for me at work, but every few months, I’m reminded that there’s still work to be done.
Scenario 1: after work (not at my primary hospital), as I was walking in the parking lot about to open the door of my car, an older white man approached me and asked if my car ran on diesel, I said no, smiling as I thought we were about to have a fun convo about cars but instead he then asked if my husband bought me the car, I politely said “no”, and was about to enter my car, then he again asked, while pointing to my left hand (engagement ring), “did your fiancé by it for you”?, more serious now, I said, “no”. The confusion on his face was classic. He then said, “hmmm, ok”, and walked away.
Scenario 2: I walk into my patient’s room in the morning, as I’ve done the last 3 days he has been my patient. He’s an older while man. I greet him, examine him, tell him the plan for his care for the day, then ask if he has any questions. He then says, “now I just gotta ask, are you an honest to goodness doctor?”. I try not to roll my eyes and respond, “yes Mr. X, I’ve been taking care of you the last 3 days, I admitted you from the emergency department, remember?”. He responds by telling me that yes he knows but then says, “not many of your sorts around, more and more now a-days. Guess that’s a good thing, right? Well…. good for you”. I smile at him, then leave his room to go and see my next patient.
Why is any of this important? Because I still have people telling my things like, “oh you’re so lucky”, “things are so easy for you”, “when you get to a certain level (like being a doctor) I bet there’s no racism just because of your position”. It’s not luck and it’s not easy. It’s perseverance and the dedication to treat everyone I encounter with respect and love in hopes that my behavior will teach them to be better.