EDI workshops

Delegates attending were able to participate in online workshops from the choice below:

Workshop 1: Conversations with learners: using the arts in undergraduate medical education to challenge thinking about diversity and professional behaviours
Workshop 2: Understanding what factors contribute to an inclusive environment for Professional and Technical Services in a Medical School
Workshop 3: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Language in Healthcare
Workshop 4: The impact of sensory processing on communication; learning; clinical skills; and wellbeing in the workplace
Workshop 5: Workshop delivery of an Active Bystander Toolkit for use in confidence and for benefit within the Medicine and Higher Education Workplace
Workshop 6: Inclusive Curriculum Design – Using the student experience to ensure changes are relevant and impactful

Conversations with learners: using the arts in undergraduate medical education to challenge thinking about diversity and professional behaviours

Dr Anna Hammond, Academic Lead for Clinical Skills and Reasoning, General Practitioner, Libby Pearson, Author, The Purple List-A gay dementia venture (Simulated Patient), Ian Baxter, Actor, The Purple List- A gay dementia venture (Simulated Patient). Hull York Medical School, UK

Workshop objectives

To watch a recorded performance of The Purple List: A Gay Dementia Venture (Original presentation is a 35 minute one-act drama following ‘Sam’ detailing his own, and husband Derek's experiences as Derek’s dementia progresses over two years which has been developed as a transformative learning experience)
To engage in conversation with the author and actor exploring their wealth of experience of delivering this to a wide variety of audiences across the UK and Australia, including medical students.
To consider the feedback from and critical reflection by medical students from one UK medical school after engaging in this innovative learning experience
To identify curricular areas in the delegates’ own experience where this and similar transformative learning experiences could be deployed to drive effective learning.

Workshop

Working with students in developing humanistic approaches to care, diversity and constructive professional behaviours can be difficult. Diversity and ‘professionalism’ as curricular areas may be met with suspicion by students as it does not fit the clearer scientific paradigm with which students are more naturally comfortable. Learning activities are easily dismissed as unnecessary and there are difficulties inherent in ‘teaching’ in this area. Facilitating learning of important, sensitive information is not well served by more traditional didactic approaches, but more creative approaches to learning are easily rejected.

We adopted a transformative approach to learning (Mezirow 1990) to challenge established views, without patronising. ‘The Purple List – A Gay dementia venture’- a one-act drama has been written and performed by two of our Simulated Patients. It is a moving, emotional and involving performance delivered by 'Sam' enacting the impact of his partner Derek's dementia as it progresses over a two year period. We developed a workshop to supplement the play, in consultation with the author/actor, to further highlight important aspects of diversity, professionalism and humanistic care for Year 3 MBBS students at the Hull York Medical School.

Delegates will watch a recording from the play. The workshop authors will facilitate an open Q&A session with the actor, author and delegates, to explore the development of this teaching event. The author and actor will provide feedback to the delegates regarding their extensive experience in using this performance as a training tool with a wide variety of delegates (including health professionals, carer associations, medical students and LGBT groups, UK and Australia). The workshop facilitators will present a thematic analysis of the critical reflections and feedback from medical students as an example of the learning experienced from this activity.

Delegates will share areas of where their own curricula which may benefit from similar educational approaches.

Understanding what factors contribute to an inclusive environment for Professional and Technical Services in a Medical School

Helen Curtis, Imogen Debbonaire, Steve Jennings. University of Bristol

Background

Professional and Technical staff underpin much of the education, research and day-to-day work of Medical Schools but are often absent from EDI research and initiatives. Analysing staff data reveals that diverse representation is often worse in professional and technical staff groups than academic and student groups.

The Bristol Medical School EDI Committee and Medical Anti-Racism Group aims to represent all staff and students, with work being undertaken across all staffing/ student groups. The School has recently appointed their first Professional Services EDI Co-Lead acknowledging the different skills this group can bring to EDI work. To inform the stream of work in this area, a cultural review was conducted to better understand the unique experiences of professional and technical staff and how they understand inclusion.

Methodology

The Cultural Review included facilitated focus groups with different professional and technical teams in the Medical School, a Padlet board being sent to all Professional and Technical staff to anonymously contribute, and interviews with staff from underrepresented groups (including BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled people). The data was then analysed using a thematic approach. Interviewees were invited to work with the Lead to inform how the work would be presented.

Format of workshop

In this workshop we will present to delegates the outcome of the Cultural Review. The findings will be separated under the following headings: what does inclusion mean to you; what actions in the School have made you feel included; what are the barriers to inclusion; and how could the school facilitate change. The presentation will include anonymised quotes from participants presented under themes, including: the impact on mental health, emotional labour and communication challenges.

We will then lead a discussion with delegates using online tools (Mentimeter and Padlet) to provide an interactive experience, sharing best practice and reflections on their own Medical School.

Learning objectives

By the end of this workshop, delegates will have

Explored approaches of working with underrepresented groups to inform their understanding and approach to building inclusivity.
Understood the factors that contribute to inclusion and exclusion
Had an opportunity to share practice with other organisations

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Language in Healthcare

Kat Sanders, Steph Busby, Rebecca Jenkins, Hull York Medical School

Overview

The language we use to describe ourselves and others is constantly shifting. To talk openly about matters, we need to be sure that we are using inclusive language. This is a pivotal step towards making sure our place of study and work feels inclusive and safe.

This is particularly important when healthcare practitioners are involved. The language used by clinicians can be an indicator to LGBTQ+ individuals of whether they can be open about their identity and have an honest, trusting relationship when managing their health. A 2018 survey from Stonewall found the that one in five LGBTQ+ people are not out to any healthcare professional about their sexual orientation when seeking general medical care, and one in seven LGBTQ+ people have avoided treatment for fear of discrimination.

Aim

By attending this workshop, you will develop an understanding of, and learn to use, LGBTQ+ inclusive language – this is important for our students who will have careers in healthcare, and all medical school staff who should use and role-model appropriate language that is inclusive of our LGBTQ+ community.

One of the key stumbling blocks for having these open conversations is an individual’s fear of “saying the wrong thing”. This workshop aims to not only give attendees the language knowledge and understanding to have open conversations, but also begin to accept that we all say the wrong thing sometimes and how we can acknowledge, apologise, and learn from these occasions in a pattern of continuing learning and growth. This workshop, co-created by students and staff at Hull York Medical School, will cover the use of appropriate and inclusive language for LGBTQ+ people in healthcare. It will encompass sexuality and gender, whilst giving participants knowledge and core take-home messages that they can incorporate into their professional and personal lives. It will be delivered as a blended approach using PowerPoint directed learning and incorporating break out rooms with interactive tasks to practice new skills.

Learning outcomes

Develop an understanding of the use of LGBTQ+ inclusive language
Become more comfortable using LGBTQ+ inclusive language
Reflect on how you might incorporate LGBTQ+ inclusive language in your own personal and professional practices.

The impact of sensory processing on communication; learning; clinical skills; and wellbeing in the workplace

Claire Lidstone, BSc (Hons.) Physiotherapy. MaEd SEND. Accessibility Lead, Joint Education Partnership, Leicester Medical School and Chongqing Medical University.

Overview

Our sensory motor system is fundamentally the basis of all of our interactions with the world around us. The integration of sensory information and our ability to use the information to interact and move through our world appropriately with intention and purpose is recognised as the underpinning of our ability to self regulate, learn and interact effectively with others using appropriate verbal and non verbal communication.

This online interactive workshop, while not exhaustive, introduces the foundational skills for learning pyramid, the components of the sensory motor system and how any disruption, regulation issues and under or over stimulation to one of all of the systems can affect performance and wellbeing while learning or in the workplace.

Active discussion with a review of emerging research and documented experience of how those with recognised sensory motor, sensory processing difficulties or recognised neuro divergence, adapt to or experience the world they live, learn and work in, will be encouraged. How students and colleagues may be affected in the workplace or how performance issues could be identified, monitored and supported in your setting including action planning strategies or appropriate support and referral pathways if indicated when issues present will be considered.

Workshop delivery of an Active Bystander Toolkit for use in confidence and for benefit within the Medicine and Higher Education Workplace

Dr Anna L. Seager (she/her), Swansea University Medical School

Overview

This workshop will focus on active bystanders in Medicine and Higher Education (HE). Recognising disrespectful or bullying or harassment behaviours in the HE environment. This session will provide attendees with the confidence to take action in the HE workplace towards any bullying and harassment situations, wherever that behaviour may lay on the spectrum of disrespect. From favouritism, difficult conversations, through to sharing humiliation to more escalated situations. The workshop will deliver appropriate active bystander interventions (4Ds), such that you will come away armed with an active bystander’s toolkit. The workshop will look at types of bullying and harassment, some examples of behaviours, common reasons for inaction, the 4Ds of active bystander intervention, which is proven methodology that can help, as well as touching upon policy and practice, the impact of bullying/ harassment at work, and wellbeing in the HE workplace.

The session will use examples that take experience and best practice from within Swansea University Medical School, now part of the new Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science (FMHLS) at Swansea. The catalyst for this work and development to upskill staff within Swansea FMHLS is our advance Athena Swan Silver award and action plan.

There will be questions, discussions, and polling to help achieve learning and teaching and build confidence. The session will cover sensitive issues and discuss human bias and will provide benefit within the workplace by helping to motivate attendees to have the confidence to intervene towards disrespect due to an expansion of their toolkit of personal skills.

Inclusive Curriculum Design – Using the student experience to ensure changes are relevant and impactful

Representatives from MedRACE, a student-staff working group, Leicester Medical School. (Student co-chairs Takunda Nhiwatiwa, Wendy Tetteh, staff co-chairs Kate Williams, Shameq Sayeed)

Overview

MedRACE (Raising Awareness, Celebrating Excellence) is a student-staff group at Leicester Medical School, working to progress the commitments of the BMA charter and create a more inclusive teaching and learning environment. Students work in subgroups on projects that interest them, in partnership with staff. One such project is the development of an inclusive curriculum toolkit for the medical school, drawing on our University toolkit. As part of an intentional effort to create academic and quality improvement opportunities for students with an interest in this work, MedRACE members have undertaken student selected components (SSC) projects on developing a more racially inclusive curriculum’, producing examples of how teaching styles and course content can be made more inclusive; recommendations which have been implemented in subsequent years teaching. In addition to main curricula, staff have worked with students to co-develop and co-deliver EDI and active bystander training, using real scenarios to provoke meaningful and impactful discussions.

This workshop will provide an overview of the approaches taken at Leicester to identify areas for change, engage with staff and students to deliver change, and future steps towards measuring impact. Attendees will be invited to share examples from their own institutions, and discuss challenges and barriers to implementing changes to medical curricula.

Workshop objectives

By the end of this workshop, attendees will have:

Explored successful approaches to engaging with students to bring relevance to teaching
Had an opportunity to share good practice with other institutions