Addressing microaggressions: Empowering medical schools with effective training

The article addresses the persistent issue of microaggressions and racism in the medical field, which disproportionately impacts ethnic minority students.It discusses lessons from a training programme designed to enhance student safety, belonging and close educational gaps.Students experiencing microaggressions often hesitated to report incidents, feeling ill-prepared, and bystanders were reluctant to report such cases. | WHAT WAS TRIED?We introduced a training programme to empower medical students to respond effectively to microaggressions and racism during clinical placements, fostering effective bystander interventions.This programme utilised anonymised case studies and adapted bystander training principles from the University of Bristol. 1 It sought to bridge the trust gap between students and clinical providers, involving both in training sessions.Sessions encouraged critical reflection on concepts like 'privilege', 'white supremacy' and microaggressions, emphasising their long-term effects on mental and physical health.The training equipped students and colleagues to report and support complaints.