Addressing racism in respiratory therapy educational programs: An integrative literature review

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: The impacts of racism on the experiences of under-represented minorities in health education programs such as respiratory therapy can impede the ability of these students to succeed in these programs and in the healthcare workplace. This can exacerbate the discrepancy between the racial diversity of the healthcare workforce and that of the population that they intend to serve. METHODS: An integrative literature review was conducted to examine and integrate the published literature that describes how racism is expressed and addressed in health education programs and in healthcare workplaces. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies were reviewed that included a variety of allied health professions. Racial discrimination in these programs is characterized as racial stereotyping, micro-aggressions, significant cognitive and emotional burdens, socio-economic challenges, and organizational impediments. Individual coping strategies such as confronting racism directly or minimizing its existence and seeking and offering social and cultural supports are reported. At an institutional level, policies to address racism, foster an inclusive culture, and develop programs that enable and support diversity and career progression have been described. DISCUSSION: A conceptual model that frames the factors that enable racism (both extrinsic/societal and intrinsic/individual) against strategies that mitigate the effects of racism (both institutional and individual) is proposed and applied to respiratory therapy programming. CONCLUSION: Respiratory therapy programs must acknowledge, prioritize, and address racism consistently and systemically. Targeted research is required to explore the specific experiences of this profession, and to validate the effectiveness of the strategies described to redress the inequities unmasked by racism.