Solutions are everywhere if you care to understand the problems. One of the most significant public health problems facing medicine is racism. Racism harms, and it is pervasive in healthcare. It’s in the training, treatment, and patient outcomes where disparities are everywhere. Racism leads to corruption, and that is the fundamental problem of medicine and another public health crisis.

As a Black woman in medicine, I almost lost my identity trying to fit in with a culture that did not value or respect people who looked like me. In my first job, I was getting paid less and required to work more hours than everyone else. I hated medical school with a passion, and training was even worse. I could never master the arrogance. I was harassed and gaslighted. In my opinion, microaggressions are not micro but harassment. Constantly having to prove you belong to racists takes a toll over time.

When I finished medical school, I had incurred so much debt that I had no alternative but to continue. I would recommend medicine as a steady source of income. But if you’re Black and “woke,” start your practice. It’s not worth sacrificing your health to help people who don’t care about you.

Towards the end, I started to realize doing my job and keeping my head down was the only way to keep my sanity, and even then, I burnt out.