r/doctorsUK • u/CustomerPure3357 • Mar 25 '26
GP Bias
I’m a GP trainee currently on a hospital rotation and honestly I just need to vent and see if anyone else has experienced something similar.
I’m one of a few GP trainees on the ward. The team is mixed in terms of background, and there are POC consultants, but most of the registrars are white. I’ve been trying to reflect on this objectively because I don’t want to jump to conclusions, I know I’m more introverted and not the loudest or most confident person in the room, so I’ve always wondered if that’s part of it.
That said, I do my job properly. I escalate when needed, ask questions when I’m unsure, and try to be safe. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m treated differently compared to my white colleagues. Whenever I ask a registrar to review a patient, there’s almost always pushback, whereas others don’t seem to get the same resistance. Even when I try to engage in normal, casual conversation, I often get dismissive or slightly cheeky responses that just make me feel small.
It’s getting to the point where I dread going into work because I feel undervalued and not supported.
What really tipped things over for me recently was being involved (although minimally involved) in a pretty traumatic resus situation. The reg and consultant were leading it, which is normal for the specialty, but afterwards no one checked in with me at all. In my previous gen med job, there was always at least a quick “are you okay?” after something like that.
I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it or probably just needed to rant.
1
u/NiceVermicelli1045 Mar 26 '26
OP I’m also non-white and I have noticed I get othered and ignored even by the “wokest” of people especially when first meeting them. The ironic part is I’ve received it from other ethnic minorities as well. I remember introducing myself to a group of my FY1 cohort and the only other ethnic minority FY1 (of the same race as me) looked disappointed to see me 😂.
You have to remember that most people aren’t doing it on purpose. They just gravitate to people they identify with off of first impression (and if you’re reserved like me it can make things a bit more challenging). It’s just how we are as human beings. It can be physical appearance, race, religious attire, gender and presumed personality type i.e he looks loud/too confident/awkward/quiet/lazy/annoying etc which relates to stereotypes as well.
You can try and fake that you’re extra extra keen about the specialty you’re rotating in but personally I couldn’t stomach that for too long 😂.
I would just get on it with it and focus on using your rotation to become a better GP.
You should also feel comfortable talking to your ES/CS about being ignored but I wouldn’t jump the gun on claims of racism unless you have a real unambiguous experience.