Learner Feedback
Dignity in Pregnancy & Childbirth
for Black Women & Birthing People
Participant reports 3-6 months after completing the course
Learner Feedback
Dignity in Pregnancy & Childbirth
for Black Women & Birthing People
Participant reports 3-6 months after completing the course
Did the course improve your skills or strategy when interacting with diverse patients?
Do you think what you leaners has benefited you in your practice?
Overall, how did completing the course affect your experiences with patient care?
How much did the course affect your confidence in working with diverse patients?
I enjoyed the diverse format of the training and it felt very engaging. Although this is a sensitive subject, it was approached with objectivity and appealed to emotional and logical reasoning. I appreciated that it provoked me to ask myself questions, think of a specific time and answer questions about it, as well as provided some examples of how to utilize this knowledge in my work. I think this would be a valuable course for healthcare providers at all levels.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, Asian, 25, Liberal, CA
I learned that in some cases we are inherently bias even though we don’t see ourselves that way and there are ways we can change our thoughts and attitudes so we can be a positive partner in building an action plan that puts the mother first and the safety of the baby. I liked the way the course was laid out so I don’t see a need for change. The discussions and material would be very useful for healthcare staff to see and discuss…
- Nurse, Female, White, 50, Conservative, WI
I liked the course. I am a physician so I will use this knowledge when I treat my patients. I will look at all patients with an unbiased prescriptive. It is a useful course.
- Physician, Female, White, 29, Conservative, FL
The course feels similar to the modules we are assigned by the hospital. Most of it is not new to us but there are nuggets of new information, such as different interpretations of facial expressions across races. It is always good to be reminded of biases we hold…
- Physician, Female, Asian, 29, Liberal, CA
The course was very easily understandable in the stories it told. By leading us through scenarios of three different people, it was really easy to engage and be absorbed in their stories. Using these stories to introduce and explain concepts really helped to assign meaning to the concepts. I enjoyed that all the stories were very different, so as to place instances of bias in a variety of situations and drive home the many ways it can occur. I was also very happy that the last story was a positive one; the first one was so gut wrenching to think about that it was almost a little difficult to continue the course. I appreciate that the letter in the first part of the course discussed the impact it could have so I was prepared. I learned quite a bit of new information in the concepts of reproductive justice and implicit thought. One of the interactions that stuck with me was the one where the nurse wondered why Ayisha could not pick 2 family members to stay with her. For a moment it made some sense to me that the nurse wanted her to pick and move on, but the perspective taking completely changed my view - of course it would be impossible to pick, and of course that would not be her primary concern in that moment. It also seems so obvious now, but felt like new information that open ended questions and simple listening are required to combat biases and focus on patient needs…I do think all the concepts shared in this course are helpful for healthcare staff and providers, both as new information and good reminders of best practices.
- Allied Health Provider, Female, Asian, 33, Liberal, MN
The course was well laid out and easy to understand so no changes are needed. The course made me look at things from a perspective I didn’t know I had or thought I had. There were many great ideas I could bring to the healthcare field on things we need to be aware of and change. So everyone feels respected and included in their healthcare decision.
- Nurse, Female, White, 50, Conservative, WI
I thought this course was very valuable for raising awareness about medical bias, especially in the area of prenatal care. I felt I could take a lot from the course and it really challenged my thinking and the way I will handle patients going forward. I really liked the examples and ideas of open ended questions…I do think this course will be helpful for Healthcare staff as it will also challenge them to do better for all their patients.
- Administrative Professionals, Female, White, 34, Very Conservative, OH
I definitely think this is an awesome, highly needed course. As a healthcare worker, I found it immensely refreshing and would like to see this style of presentation and more of this kind of information in my own training. I definitely think it will be helpful. The statistics were new information, and of course many of us think we have beaten our internal biases but havent. Even if it was all information Id heard before, its good to be reminded.
- Behavioral Health Provider Female, White, 30, Liberal, MI
I think the overall structure of the course and the quality of the course were great. I think that the mixture of statistics and stories was nice and showed both sides of the coin. The overall concepts were pretty familiar to me, however there was some vocabulary that was new to me. There wasnt much that I think could be done to improve the course...I think it could be helpful for healthcare providers, but probably earlier than later in their education/careers.
- Former Pharm Tech, Male, White, 26, Very Liberal, MI
I reviewed information that I already knew, however I learned how to apply the information to real life situations. I think the course is very helpful for that application.
- Administrative Professionals, Male, Black, 26, Liberal, FL
I liked the chorus. I think what was the most valuable for me was the prompting to ask questions to check my own biases. I think often times courses that are structured on similar topics focus more on what we are reacting to rather than how we are actually reacting. I like that the course emphasized responsibility on both ends. In terms of improving the course, I do not have any large suggestions to make. I do believe this will be useful for healthcare staff and providers.
- Medical Assistant/Orderly, Female, Asian, 20, Liberal, WA
I thought it was really well done and informative. Myself and other healthcare professionals all are prone to certain biases. It opens me up to being more self-aware of my language and communication. I think it will help future and current providers in their roles.
- Administrative Professionals, Male, White, 31, Conservative, FL
I dont often feel engaged with this type of course, so I very much appreciate how this course was structured through engaging stories - I feel confident in the concepts being committed to memory due to being mentally/emotionally engaged in the stories. It is very easy to gloss over information and not truly understand it when it is presented without context or examples, and these stories provide both context and examples in spades.
- Allied Health Provider Female, Asian, 33, Liberal, MN
I think more people in our country should see videos like this and learn how negative stereotypes against black women in healthcare can be.
- Medical Assistant/Orderly, Male, Other, 21, Liberal, AR
I was more focused on being more holistic in my approach. I have made a conscious effort to be more tailored in my care.
- Medical Technician in ICU, Liberal WA
Well, the course on black maternal health significantly impacted the way I approach my daily patient care, especially in the ICU and emergency ward. Although the course was centered on pregnancy and childbirth, the strategies for recognizing and interrupting unintended bias have been invaluable in all my interactions with patients. For example, I make it a point to listen attentively to each patients concerns without making assumptions based on their background. I now ensure that I ask open-ended questions to give patients the space to express their needs and concerns fully, rather than assuming what might be wrong based on prior experience or stereotypes. Ive also become more mindful of my nonverbal communication, making sure that my tone, body language, and expressions reflect empathy and respect. This helps me create a welcoming environment where patients feel safe to voice their concerns. I have consciously made an effort to recognize and challenge any personal biases I may have, particularly when interacting with individuals from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds.
- Nurse (RN, LPN) Female, White, 53, Conservative, PA
I work at a county hospital and it made me think twice about how I may be letting implicit bias affect the care I deliver.
- Physician, Male, Asian, 28, Conservative, TX
The course helped me to recognize my unconscious biases and helped me avoid allowing those to affect the care I provided. It helped me identify stereotypes and make sure that I do not allow stereotypes be a factor in my decision making.
- Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant, Female, White, 39, Conservative, AL
The course helped me become more mindful of unintended bias in my interactions with all patients, not just those related to pregnancy and childbirth. I now consciously listen without assumptions, ensuring that each patient feels respected and understood, regardless of their background or condition. By applying these strategies, I aim to provide care that acknowledges and values individual experiences.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, Black, 30, Conservative, TX
I am now extremely aware of my unconscious bias. I have employed the last doctors method of questioning and waiting to examine how my biases could affect the interaction. The scene with the mother and 3 aunts in the birthing room also comes to my mind. I am more aware of how each person involved has a totally different perspective in providing or receiving health care.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, White, 41, Liberal, NY
It has allowed me to become more aware of my own potential biases against certain races or gender that I encounter, as well as allowed me the opportunity in order to advise my co-workers on how to manage their own bias. The course also brought a physical change, as the clinic now has posters encouraging for diversity and unbiased treatment.
- Medical Translator, Female, White, 44, Liberal, NJ
I think I was more aware of making sure my own opinions or bias were not clouding my judgement and therefore affecting patient care. It really made me think about how I treat different people
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, Asian, 40, Moderate, NE
It served as a constant reminder to always pause and assess myself before and after any interaction with a patient. I now tend to view both sides of the situation before making decisions. I also tend to keep an eye on my unconscious action.
- Administration (e.g., leadership, manager, human resources, finance), Female, White, 67, Moderate, CO
After interacting with my clients, I started to take a step back and rethink of the conversations. I started to ask questions about how I would feel if I was the client and will I feel safe and listened to. I actively try to be in my clients shoe and think of ways to communicate better. I always try to think that my clients can take my tone, posture and the way I communicate in a different way that what I am trying to convey. I need to understand that and try to communicate more openly so that clients will not take the wrong message.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Asian, 23, Liberal, MT
I
tried to see past my perception of peoples mannerisms - if I perceived
someone was acting aggressively, I tried to reframe it in a manner that took
into account that individuals situation. Are they afraid and in a stressful
situation, and reacting in a way that just looks combative to me? This way of
thinking helped lower the initial response of being defensive against someone
who looks combative. Unless a safety concern was imminent, I tried to put
aside my notions of how I think someone should behave, and look at the
situation after taking a step back. I also tried to not let my assessment of
a situation be the only factor in how I handled it. Even if what was visible
to me pointed to there not being an issue, I tried not to let that override
what the individual was communicating; rather than me telling them what is
happening, I tried to make more space for them to explain what they were
feeling. This approach lead to finding an unexpected source of a problem,
different from what the individual was communicating.
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Direct Care Professional, Home Health Care Worker, Caregiver, Female, Asian, 34, Liberal, MN
I work with many black mothers and their children in asthma care. I was more empathetic and conscious of how I interacted with the moms. I made sure to ask questions and take into account their past health experiences by asking questions.
-
Nurse
(RN, LPN), Female, Black, 31, Conservative, MI
This course has reminded me to self reflect after each patient and come up with different strategies of my own. This course has also empowered me to more supportive, and more compassionate towards my patients.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, Black, 40, Moderate, IN
It allowed me to be alot more careful and considerate to my approach in helping patients. I slowed down, and thought more about my actions and how my perceptions could possibly affect my patients.
- Nutrition Specialist, Male, White, 30, Moderate, CO
It helped me to not always assume what the patient might be feeling with the information I know at hand. It is always best to ask the patient how they are feeling at a particular moment and the best possible way to help.
- Nurse (RN, LPN), Female, Asian, 21, Liberal, TX
I have found myself thinking more about how I act towards everyone, not just minorities. I think about how they are being treated and if they would be treated any differently if they were a different gender, or race.
- Radiology, Male, Other, 40, Moderate, AR
Working at a clinic that serves a heavily low-income and minority population, I was able to reflect upon the learning modules that I had previously seen. I remembered specifically the module saying that African American populations are more subject to have their pain dismissed than other ethnic groups due to providers believing that they have a higher pain tolerance. I remembered this specifically when my supervising physician mentioned how he would give a lower painkiller dose to a patient due to her being AA. I politely educated him on the matter and mentioned to him how the notion of higher pain tolerance is outdated and based on false claims.
- Medical Assistant/Orderly, Male, Black, 59, Liberal, AL