Creating brave spaces: Simulation-based faculty development to disarm microaggressions
Creators: name: X. Catherine Tong
name: Sonaina Chopra
name: Jordan, Hannah
name: Sibbald, Matthew
name: Monteiro, Sandra
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: <b>Creating Brave Spaces: Simulation Based Faculty Development to Disarm Microaggressions</b><br> <br> X. Catherine Tong<sup>1</sup>, Sonaina Chopra<sup>2</sup>, Hannah Jordan<sup>1</sup>, Matthew Sibbald<sup>2</sup>, Sandra Monteiro<sup>2</sup><br> <sup>1</sup>McMaster University, Kitchener, Canada <sup>2</sup>McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada<br> <br> <b>Background</b><br> <br> Microaggressions are commonplace occurrences in the clinical and teaching environments. Individuals experiencing microaggressions are at risk for low self-esteem, poor health outcomes, and poor performance. When teams and institutions fail to address microaggressions, performance weakens and culture deteriorates. Faculty development teams are tasked to provide training to faculty and staff to disarm microaggressions.<br> <br> <b>Summary Of Work</b><br> <br> An interprofessional team of faculty members and staff created and implemented a faculty development activity using simulation-based educational design. Trained standardized patients play a role of a source of microaggression in a curricular meeting environment. Participants practice responding to the microaggression with a simple algorithm in small groups. Scenarios are paused or replayed as needed, followed by a debrief.<br> <br> <b>Summary Of Results</b><br> <br> 70 participants experienced a learning activity in 5 different contexts: faculty development events, faculty retreats, national and international conferences between 2021 and 2023. The learning activity involved 2 cases centered in gender diversity and indigenous reconciliation delivered in both in-person and virtual formats. Participants reported that the experience was impactful and effective. They applied what they learned immediately and gained additional insight by observing how colleagues responded. Although some participants cited barriers such as “shyness”, “being introverted”, as barriers, many felt confident about managing microaggressions in the future.<br> <br> <b>Discussion And Conclusion</b><br> <br> As faculty developers, we are energized by the positive feedback and strong connection we have experienced with the participants. At the same time, we take care to mitigate the risk to psychological safety during the simulation and debrief that may affect everyone involved. We note that this learning activity has incurred a higher cost, both in terms of budget and emotional labor, which could overwhelm resources and threaten its sustainability. Our next step is to bring this activity to existing teams in the academic health sciences environment in order to improve culture in entire teams. Finally, we will address the phenomenon of “preaching to the converted”, and endeavor to bring this event to environments where the learning needs are present but unperceived.<br> <br> <b>Take Home Messages</b><br> <br> Simulation based educational design can be effectively deployed to train faculty and staff in responding effectively to microaggressions in the clinical teaching environment.