A Tool to Assess Bias, Racism, and Allyship in the Healthcare Learning Environment

Abstract

Introduction: While healthcare students receive robust clinical training, social issues like bias and allyship are often overlooked. This study developed a new survey tool to assess how healthcare students perceive bias, racism, and allyship in their learning environment.

Methods: Using a validated scale as a frame from the John Hopkins Learning Environment Survey (JHLES), researchers created a new assessment tool to measure perceptions of bias, racism, and allyship across three different healthcare institutions representing medicine, dentistry, and nursing. Results: A total of 212 responses were collected. The data showed that non-minority students had greater agreement on questions regarding equitable opportunities to excel, feeling free to speak up in clinical settings against bias, and overall perceptions of the learning environment. Men felt more comfortable speaking up against racial bias or feeling that someone would speak out on their behalf and reported higher feelings of acceptance within their learning environment.

Conclusion: This study developed and implemented a new survey tool to assess bias and racism across three medical education environments, medicine, dentistry, and nursing, demonstrating its relevance across fields with differing curricula and cultures. While small differences related to institution, minority status, gender, and class year were noted, the tool's wide applicability provides a baseline for institutions seeking to assess bias within their learning environments.

Keywords: bias and allyship; dental education; healthcare education; learning environment; medical education; nursing education.