During Unconscious Bias training on Aug. 21, Stephanie Brodtrick, Ph.D., MBA, RN, Director, Learning Systems for Population Health, and Arie Nettles, Ph.D., NCSP, HSP, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Director of VUMC’s Office of Inclusion and Health Equity, led the Population Health team in a two-hour interactive, engaging session on ways to recognize and reduce the impact of biases.
The brain can take in 11 million pieces of information at any one time, Dr. Nettles explained, but only 40 to 50 pieces of material can get absorbed because of our preferences, perceptions, interpretations and selective attention. Our backgrounds and cultural experiences largely inform what we focus on and how we view and react to the world.
We all have bias, and unconscious bias is defined as mental associations without awareness, intention or control. Drs. Brodtrick and Nettles recommend that we start with awareness first, with the goal of this initial training to raise that awareness and begin a dialogue.
Sometimes these biases conflict with our conscious thoughts and views, and they can affect how we treat people, especially if we perceive them as different or “other.” Though we can never fully eliminate our biases, learning to take a moment and reflect on our decisions, especially when it comes to other people, can help mitigate any potential harmful impact of those biases.
Drs. Brodtrick and Nettles offered the following six ways to navigate and mitigate bias:
- Recognize and accept that you have bias.
- Develop the capacity to use a flashlight on yourself. Cultivating self-awareness of blind spots is crucial.
- Practice “constructive uncertainty.” Be curious and gather information without feeling the need to act or decide immediately.
- Explore awkwardness and discomfort. Don’t be afraid to sit in uncomfortable moments and see if you can work through them without reacting negatively toward another person.
- Engage with people you consider “others” and outside your usual circle. Expose yourself to positive role models in that group.
- Get feedback. Share a cup of coffee with a colleague, even if virtual; participate in lunch and learns; and cultivate some trusted people with whom you can talk to honestly and have hard but productive conversations.
The team also learned a helpful tool to slow down decision-making and keep assumptions and reactions in check: The “P.A.U.S.E.” method:
- Pay attention to what’s actually happening—not the interpretation.
- Acknowledge that you have assumptions given your lens and perspective on the matter.
- Understand your background and how that might color your experience.
- Seek other perspectives on what might be happening.
- Examine all options before making decisions.
At the end of the training, the facilitators split the large group into smaller subgroups to formulate concrete ideas for recognizing, navigating or mitigating biases in teams and departments. The energizing conversations led to team members offering multiple practical takeaways using the Zoom chat feature. The action steps were collected and themed and will be reported at the Oct. 2 follow-up session for further discussion of a formal action plan and timeline.
Dr. Nettles ended the training with reminder that the goal of unconscious bias training is continuous improvement, not perfection: “Appeal to the best of everyone because we are all human and all make mistakes,” she said. “This is all about a continuing conversation.”
Please mark your calendars for the next required Unconscious Bias Training on Fri., Oct. 2, when Dr. Nettles and Dr. Brodtrick will speak on “Diversity and Inclusion,” as a follow-up to the Aug. 21 training.
And don’t miss the timely Aug. 24 episode of the Vanderbilt Health DNA: Discoveries in Action podcast on “The Lenses We Wear: Unconscious Bias.” Contributors to this episode are Dr. Nettles; Dr. Nancy Brown, Former Chair and Physician-in-Chief of the VUMC Department of Medicine; and Dr. Kyla Terhune, Vice President for Educational Affairs, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Associate Professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology. Listen here.