Black Shame in the Hour of Oppression

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Anwar Dayan Osborne, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-12
• Publisher: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023, Journal of Graduate Medical Education
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-23-00236.1
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Graduate Medical Education
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 650
• End Page: 651
• Keywords: race; residency
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Education

Abstract

“What happened to DeWayne?” I asked. As a third-year rotating resident in the neurosurgical ICU, I usually showed up around 4:30 Am to see DeWayne—better dressed, taller, and smarter than me—gliding between patients and making notes on small squares of paper. A different neurosurgery resident said, “DeWayne is no more. He’s not employed here anymore.” I later learned that DeWayne, a fifth-year resident, had been relieved of his duties late in the evening the night before. The infraction had been an exchange with a nurse over patient care. A patient with a minor head bleed had witnessed DeWayne’s heated conversation with a nurse. Yes, DeWayne was Black and played linebacker in college; yes, the nurse was White and stood at 5 feet 4 inches; and yes, the patient witness was related to the CEO of the hospital. So, this didn’t go well.