The website http://www.blackdoctor.org/index2.aspx makes sure you have a black doctor available for your black needs. Don’t we need a place where white people can be sure they will get a white doctor sensitive to their white needs, because everyone knows you need a doctor the same color and culture as you are.
There’s pretty strong evidence that, even correcting for disparities in income and access, minorities are not treated to same the standard of care as white people. Cite. Combine that with the past history of blatant racism seen in things like Tuskegee and I’m not surprised this site exists.
Moving thread from IMHO to MPSIMS.
This has always concerned me. In any minority’s attempt to reach parity, they perpetuate their own imbalance.
I can see why it happens, but I don’t think it’s the right approach.
Not that I really can talk.
Given this evidence is there a chance of reprisal, unconscious or intentional, from a non-white doctor to a white patient?
Would it be the worst thing in the world if someone wanted to choose a doctor in a non-emergency situation based on race? Does it make sense that a Native American would seek out a Native American doctor? Would that run afoul of anyone’s sensibilities? I doubt it. Put “white” in there, however and you’ve got a different story. It would be the KKK running down the townspeople with their burning crosses. A bit of a double standard, I think.
The reason that people would refuse to see a non-white doctor is very different than the reason people would prefer a non-white doctor.
I would like to see a doctor that appears old enough to drink, for a change. I saw one in an emergency room a couple years ago who pronounced, “Well, it’s an infection all right; duh!”
I’ve found I prefer to see women doctors. I often felt like the male doctors were treating me like a hypochondriac or they were condescending. I was having shoulder issues and my (male) doctor and the (male) physical therapist were haphazard in helping me. But when I saw a (female) orthopedist and a (female) PT, they set me on a program that got my shoulder back to normal. Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe women deal with each other differently?
As for the race or ethnicity of a physician - as long as I can understand what they say and I feel like they understand what I say, I’m fine. But when I have to ask the same question three times trying to figure out what the doc is telling me, that’s not good. I don’t think you’re a racist if you can’t communicate with a doctor because of a language or accent issue.
“And you should stop eating peanuts. Peanuts will give you kidney stones.”
“OK, no more peanuts.”
“No, not peanuts, peanuts. No more peanuts.”
“No more peanuts, right.”
“No! Not peanuts! Peanuts! Peanuts! Like Popeye eat!”
I think that there is a lot of truth to this—That does not mean that there is not plenty of bigotry out there, but in my case, my parents (who are in there 80’s) perhaps honestly wouldn’t feel as comfortable having a doctor of a different ethnicity, but considering that they adopted a child of a different ethnic background (that would be me) pardon me if I don’t think that they are league with the likes of David Duke or Louis Farrakhan…
You are assuming that the study only found that minorities are not treated as well by white doctors, and would be treated as well by minority doctors. It may seem self-evident, but that doesn’t make it true.
On a different note, I’ve heard several people (in Texas, mind) say that they wouldn’t go to a minority doctor because of the heavy affirmative action in med school enrollments. So, this site could be used in reverse–to provide some comfort that a doctor not listed is not black.
Finally, on a completely different note, as a tax lawyer, I only go to doctors that are also tax lawyers.
Hmm. I have had female physicians who were terrible (you’d think a female Gyne would warm the speculum or at least her hands, but no), abrasive, and condescending. I’ve also had some who were wonderful.
Ditto for male doctors.
Ditto for Indian, black or Asian docs.
Seems to me that it can be a real crap shoot at times, which is why I am eternally grateful for my being a nurse. Sure, it’s been a soul sucking, body destroying, dysfunctional job, but I don’t enter into any physician/patient relationship in ignorance. That alone is priceless.
I have no real opinion on the black doc web site. Common sense will tell anyone that clinical competence is not related to skin color or racial identity. YMMV.
I had a white doctor who once asked why I self-identified as black, since I was so light-skinned (I’m light-skinned, true, but I can’t pass as white in anyone’s world). He also had a picture of a man in blackface on his wall. I wish I could say I was just kidding about that last one, but it’s true.
I stopped going to him. Not because he was white, though, but because I couldn’t see us getting along.
As far as foreign doctors go, heavy accents are a deterrant for me. If I’m just picking a doctor blindly from an insurance catalogue, my eyes are going to skip over names I can’t pronounce. However, if a trusted someone says, “You should really see Dr. Jangledoopanplanpliso,” I would follow their advice and hope that she or he’s fine with being called Dr. J.
That’s not quite what I’m saying, please read it again. I’m saying that the somewhat current study (2003) showing a disparity of outcomes between white and minority patients combines with a past history of overt racism leading some minorities to essentially hedge their bet. Sometimes I’m too laconic for my own good.
This thread is fascinating. I honestly thought I get a lot of “Yow! What a crazy double standard in 2010!”, but instead there’s a of lot of “Yeah I can see why having a same sex, same race doctor would be important.”
A lot of otherwise progressive people get extremely exercised when race, sex, or cultural differentiation are used as the basis for social preference … except when it comes their choice of who gets to put their hands on them and treat them. Then it’s A-OK for it to be all about who they are “comfortable” with racially and gender-wise.
What about the fact that all those foreign doctors were lured to the west, removing them from populations where there is only one doctor for literally thousands of thousands of persons, in some places?
How is that conscionable? Where’s the outrage over that? No one cares, in the west, as long as there’s a doctor for them when they want one.
Well what are you saying? Black people --even when income, insurance or access, etc are not factors-- statistically receive worse medical care than their white, comparable peers. Racism, overt or otherwise, may be a factor. Is this to say that this only occurs in white doctor/black patient relationships? Do black people, on average, receive worse care from white doctors than they do from black doctors? Or is there overall lower standard of care independent of the race of their doctor? In either case, it does not mean race is not a factor. Black doctors are not immune to prejudices toward other black people.
The public is at odds with both parties in power with respect to immigration (but continue to vote for them for other reasons.) If the public had their way many of those doctors would remain at home, but for different reasons than you suggest.
Well, that’s the trade off.
Us white people got 300 years worth of free labor. Now, in return, black folks get things like blackdoctors.com and they get to call each other “nigga” when we can’t.
Yeah, sounds like a fair trade off.
We’re even now.
One of the more amusing oversimplifications of race relations I’ve read. No sarcasm. I giggled out loud. GOL, if you will.
You have the wisdom of Solomon! They should replace Judge Judy with Judge Shakes.