Current GRADUATING Latina/o/x/e, Hispanic, or of Spanish Origin+ identified (LHS+) Medical Students (MD &DO) Application ERAS/Clerkship Experiences

Please submit preferably by April 15, 2023

Dear GRADUATING Medical Student of the LHS+ (Latina/o/x/e, Hispanic or of Spanish Origin+) Communities:

Dr. J.P. Sanchez and Dr. Deion Ellis are conducting an anonymous and voluntary survey to assess the frequency and burden of discrimination faced by LHS+ community members during medical school and the residency application process.  Understanding the frequency and burden of discrimination faced by LHS+ community members will help inform educational initiatives and future policies. 

No identifying data will be recorded about you. The questions ask about your experiences during medical school. Some questions regarding your experiences may make you uncomfortable. We hope that this assessment will add to the knowledge of the presence of discrimination during medical school and ultimately contribute to a climate of diversity and inclusion. All of your responses will be anonymous and voluntary.

The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.  Your responses will be submitted online. The responses will be stored on an encrypted server and password-protected computer.

Only John Paul Sánchez MD, MPH and Deion Ellis MD, MMS will have access to the information you provide. Aggregated data will be shared with LMSA members and academic health centers to raise awareness of discrimination faced by LHS+ communities, but this data will remain anonymous. If published, results will be presented in summary form only.  

You are free to decline to participate, to end participation at any time for any reason, or to refuse to answer any individual question without penalty, keeping in mind that a complete assessment is more helpful than an incomplete assessment.

Your decision on whether or not to participate in this project will not affect your relationship with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine,  the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), or the LMSA Faculty/Physician Advisory Council (FPAC).

Individuals who complete the survey will be allotted the opportunity to enter a drawing to win one of three $150 gift cards, to be provided by the LMSA. Individuals interested in entering the drawing will be asked to provide their contact information via a separate survey NOT TIED to their survey responses. The gift cards will be disseminated at the conclusion of the data collection phase. Once the drawing is completed and gift cards distributed, all data in this second survey will be deleted.

Remember, you can report episodes of discrimination, at any time, to the AAMC ERAS Investigations via erasinvestigations@aamc.org, your medical school leadership (e.g. Dean of Students Affairs, Dean for GME/DIO, Dean of Diversity), or to your University Office for Equal Opportunity. Residents or fellows can make formal complaints about their treatment in their program via complaints@acgme.org. In addition, if the survey makes you feel emotionally overwhelmed or distressed feel free to contact any of your medical school leadership, well-being services, Deion Ellis MD, MMS at dlellis@salud.unm.edu, J.P. Sanchez MD, MPH at jopsanchez@salud.unm.edu.

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey or the research project, you can contact the Principal Investigator on the project, Dr. JP Sanchez or the Co-Investigator of the project using their respective contact information listed below. You may also contact the UNM Health Sciences Center Office of Research at (505) 272-1129. 

All graduating medical students, please complete consent below to begin the survey.  You must complete the short survey in one attempt. There is no time limit built into the survey, but your browser might time out if you take more than a few minutes to answer each question. 

Gratefully, 

John Paul Sánchez MD, MPH

Executive Associate Vice Chancellor

Health Sciences Center, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), UNM HSC

Professor with Tenure & Vice Chair DEI, Emergency Medicine 

University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM SOM)

Executive Director, LMSA National

EMAIL: jopsanchez@salud.unm.edu

&

Deion Ellis, MD, MMS

Health Sciences Center, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), UNM HSC

Director, National Center for LMSA Leadership and Advancement

EMAIL: dlellis@salud.unm.edu

If you would like to enter the DRAWING for a chance to win $150 gift card and/or share emails or letters descriptive of unique forms of discrimination that you endured through the VSLO and ERAS application process please follow the corresponding links on the "THANK YOU" page that will pop up after you hit the green "SUBMIT" button at the end of the survey.

If you complete any, or both, of the two forms on the "THANK YOU" page, your completion of the discrimination survey will no longer be anonymous but will remain confidential. This form WILL NOT be tied to your survey responses, which will still remain anonymous.

* = Question derived from the 2022 AAMC Medical School Graduation Questionnaire.

* = Question derived from the 2022 AAMC Medical School Graduation Questionnaire.

* = Question derived from the 2022 AAMC Medical School Graduation Questionnaire.

* = Question derived from the 2022 AAMC Medical School Graduation Questionnaire.

What languages do you speak? Select all that apply. For each language that you select, including English, you will be asked to rate your proficiency in that language using the guidelines provided below.

Native/Functionally Native: I converse easily and accurately in all types of situations. Native speakers, including the highly educated, may think that I am a native speaker, too.

Advanced: I speak very accurately, and I understand other speakers very accurately. Native speakers have no problem understanding me, but they probably perceive that I am not a native speaker.

Good: I speak well enough to participate in most conversations. Native speakers notice some errors in my speech or my understanding, but my errors rarely cause misunderstanding. I have some difficulty communicating necessary health care concepts.

Fair: I speak and understand well enough to have extended conversations about current events, work, family, or personal life. Native speakers notice many errors in my speech or my understanding. I have difficulty communicating about health care concepts.

Basic: I speak the language imperfectly and only to a limited degree and in limited situations. I have difficulty in or understanding extended conversations. I am unable to understand or communicate most health care concepts.

Reminder: All data/information collected will be kept confidential.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out this important survey to better understand experiences of discrimination faced by LHS+ identified graduating medical students (2023).

If you would like to enter the drawing for a chance to win $150 gift card and/or share emails or letters descriptive of unique forms of discrimination that you endured through a visiting/audition rotations and ERAS application process please follow the corresponding links on the "THANK YOU" page that will pop up after you hit the green "SUBMIT" button below.

Reminder: All responses to the forms linked on the "THANK YOU" page WILL NOT be tied to your survey responses.