Get Herald RSSNearly 25 percent of Brown medical students have experienced some form of mistreatment during their time in medical school, in comparison to a national average of only 12 percent. These statistics, which come from a 2007 poll conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, annually administered to fourth-year medical students, have concerned some students and officials affiliated with the Alpert Medical School.
The survey asked students several questions about their experiences in medical school, some of which addressed physical, verbal and sexual mistreatment.
"In situations like this, we have to be careful in how we analyze the data," said Philip Gruppuso, associate dean of medicine. In polls conducted by the Med School, zero percent of Brown students revealed issues of sexual mistreatment, mistreatment over sexual orientation and public belittlement, Gruppuso said. In similar findings by the Med School, 98 percent of Brown students surveyed reported that they were aware of a policy to handle cases of student mistreatment - versus only 77 percent nationally, Gruppuso said.
There is a disparity between the statistics gathered from the AAMC and Med School surveys. "There are some students out there who have an axe to grind at the Medical School," Gruppuso said of the disparity between the two surveys.
But Gruppuso said that some students may not feel comfortable talking to University officials about their problems. "When I was in my residency, I was hit by a surgeon and didn't tell anyone. None of us can really put ourselves in the students' shoes under these circumstances."
In order to address these concerns, fourth-year medical students were invited to a focus group meeting at Butler Hospital on Feb. 28. Led by Laura Levine and Gerard Gagne, clinical assistant professors of psychiatry, the meeting was designed so that students could "participate in a discussion about student mistreatment and harassment during their four years at the Medical School," according to an e-mail sent by the professors to fourth-year medical students. Only four medical students attended the meeting, along with Gagne and Levine, said Anita Chu MD'08, one of the attendees.
Though what was specifically discussed during the meeting is confidential, Chu said she feels there are still many unanswered questions. "No one really knows what this mistreatment is - med students are always at the bottom of the hierarchy, and sometimes have to perform 'scut work,' and sometimes will get good teaching for their residencies. I guess the main question is whether or not Brown students are too sensitized and politically correct," Chu said.
Because of privacy concerns, The Herald was not allowed to attend the focus group.
Chu said the meeting may have been difficult for students to attend because she and her classmates also had a department dinner the same night. "It has been a real challenge to have a single, comprehensive calendar with all the Med School events listed," Gruppuso said. "I can guarantee you that this scheduling issue was not the intent of the Med School, or Drs. Levine and Gagne."
Though few attended the meeting, Chu said it was helpful to discuss issues facing Brown students. "There was definitely some disagreement at the meeting, but that is always a good sign, showing that people are allowed to show differing opinions. Those who attended were open and trusting, and Drs. Levine and Gagne made sure to tell students that they did not have to worry about any form of retribution," she said.
The focus group meeting was not new for Brown medical students. "It was part of a regular lecture series about professionalism dilemmas that occurs every six weeks," Gagne told The Herald before the meeting. "It will give students a chance to raise concerns about their experiences during these past four years."
Worries about medical students' mistreatment have surfaced nationally in the past. According to a Jan. 26, 1990, New York Times article, "Abuse and mistreatment of medical students are widespread and often leave long-lasting emotional scars that may affect their care of patients as physicians."
Citing surveys conducted on a dozen medical schools comprising 10 percent of American medical schools, the Times reported that 80 percent of fourth-year students claimed some sort of abuse.
Though evidence of abuse may be shown in broad, national statistics, University Chaplain Rev. Janet Cooper Nelson said she finds it surprising that Brown had nearly twice the national average in terms of signs of mistreatment. As a teacher in a doctoring requirement course at the Med School, Cooper Nelson said she gets to know Brown medical students on a different level. "I have been here since 1990, and I have gotten to know a large number of Brown's population," Cooper Nelson said.
"We don't hear of many cases of mistreatment at all. The care and nurture and support of people here is at a very high level - we are unusually attentive to students' needs at Brown," Cooper Nelson said.
"This matter deserves the proper amount of attention and follow-up," she said. "We would be better off listening to students to find out what is not working; I'm very confident that the medical deans will do this. However, this is not something we can back away from. It has to be done."
