Psychiatrists, and particularly psychiatry residents, are ill-equipped in recognizing and responding to racial discrimination from patients, families, and guests. The treatment settings within which they practice often fail to respond adequately and risk legal ramifications of failing to protect their employees against Title 7 violations. The module will address these gaps by providing guidelines, recommendations and case studies to address such discrimination.

Course References

• Paul-Emile K et al. Dealing with Racist Patients. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(8): 708-11.
• Crutcher RA et al. Family medicine graduates’ perceptions of intimidation, harassment, and discrimination during residency training. BMC Med Educ. 2011;11:88.
• March C et al. Experiential Communications Curriculum to Improve Resident’ Preparedness When Responding to Discriminatory Comments in the Workplace. Journal of Graduate Medical Education. 2018 June;10(3): 306-310.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize incidents of racism by patients, families, and guests, and the patterns that emerge in clinical treatment settings.
• Describe four approaches for responding to racist comments or requests.
• List the legal protections for employees regarding accommodations in response to racism.
• Describe the components of comprehensive institutional policies for reviewing, documenting, and responding to racist incidents.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 60 minutes
Begin Date: July 4, 2020
End Date: July 4, 2023

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Program Presenter

• Jessica Isom, MD, MPH, Attending Psychiatrist, Codman Square Health Center and Boston Medical Center Department of Psychiatry. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• J. Corey Williams, MA, MD, Attending Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Georgetown University. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Addiction Psychiatrist, Connecticut Mental Health Center. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Program Planners

• Meha Semwal, MD, MPH, Resident in Psychiatry. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Robert Rorhbaugh, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Dean for Global Health Education; Deputy Chair for Education and Career Development, Department of Psychiatry; Residency Program Director, Department of Psychiatry; Director, Office of International Medical Student Education, Yale School of Medicine. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali, MD, Associate Director for Education, South Central MIRECC; Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship; Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine; Geriatric Psychiatrist, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Francis Lu, MD, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of Cultural Psychiatry, UC Davis Health System. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Vabren Watts, PhD, Deputy Director, Diversity and Health Equity, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance