APGO

Précis: We will address how to discuss sociopolitical events using advice rooted in our experiences as medical educators during times of turmoil. 

Abstract: Sociopolitical events impact learners in personal and professional ways. As medical educators, it may be unclear when or whether we should address these events, yet national movements (like Black Lives Matter) carry importance for trainees and our profession. How do we choose what events to address, what to say, and when to say it? 

We will take a few minutes to ask people to take an implicit bias test. We will discuss that our views may differ but that we must respect the diverse backgrounds of the people we interact with. We will provide a framework for how to consider whether to address a topic, how to address it, what the right forum for addressing it is, and the role of residency and clerkship leadership in addressing these issues. We will discuss evidence-based methodology around communication across differences and  will present different approaches to sensitive discussions, such as Circles of Restorative Justice. We will discuss how to manage social media in this context as medical educators and how our personal media presence could impact our professional relationships. 

Using guided prompts in small breakout rooms, we will have the audience discuss what challenges they have seen in challenging and sensitive national/international situations. We will present headlines from the news about abortion or BLM and ask participants how they would lead a discussion about these topics using the frameworks that we have described. 

We will distribute a handout that details effective communication techniques and the framework for addressing challenging topics.