Rels 300 / Nurs September 2014 Reflective Journals Overview & Journal #1

Reflective journaling supports your capacity for moral consciousness (instead of moral blindness or moral complacency), your awareness of the diversity of possible choices and value perspectives, your ability to respect and appreciate the moral commitments and beliefs of others, and self- awareness of your own moral values, perspectives, beliefs and choices. How do reflective journals relate to our course objectives? 300/330 - appleby2

We will write entries during class time for 8 weeks. Each journal entry should be approximately 1 page of handwriting. You will leave your book with me between classes. You may request feedback from me once during this 7 week period. At the end of class on November 13 th, you may wish to take your journal home to assist you in writing your summative reflection. Your summative reflection paper should be about 6 to 8 pages (1500 to 2000 words); it is due on November 27 th and is worth 20% of your 1st term mark. (See additional guidelines online) When will we do the journal? 300/330 - appleby3

Reflective Journal #1: When Patients are Biased

When the Patient Is Racist By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D. JULY 25, patient-is-racist/?_r=1 patient-is-racist/?_r=1

“A recent issue of The Annals of Internal Medicine [concerned] the medical profession’s attitude toward patients who discriminate against doctors.” Excerpts

“[P]atients make demands and behave in ways that in any other public setting would be considered discriminatory or even racist. One study, for example, revealed that up to almost a third of doctors would, without question, concede to a patient’s demand for physicians of a certain race, ethnicity, gender or religion. Excerpts

“It’s medicine’s ‘open secret,’” said Kimani Paul-Emile, an associate professor of law at Fordham University who has written extensively on the topic. “The medical profession knows this happens but doesn’t want to talk about it.” Excerpts

How did [or would] this feel to you? How might you handle such a situation? Have you ever witnessed or experienced patient discrimination against health care providers?