During summer 2021, a Bystander Training Workshop was developed by Dr Anna Hammond and Dr Kat Sanders at HYMS. The 90-minute session was piloted with nine students at different stages of the 5-year MBBS course. Student evaluations and tutor reflections informed a further iteration of the Workshop which is being rolled out to HYMS students and staff.
The Workshop enabled delegates to identify micro-aggressions, defined as “The ‘everyday’ slights, indignities, put downs and insults that people of colour, women, LGBT populations or those who are marginalized, experience in their day-to-day interactions." [1] Micro-aggressions are anything but “micro” – they disempower people, making them feel unwelcome and alienated, in everyday, education and work environments.
Bystander training is crucial. It should not be solely the responsibility of the recipient to respond to a micro-aggression. We all have responsibility to ensure environments are inclusive. Bystander inaction can be as damaging as the incident itself; implying a perpetrator’s behaviour is acceptable, which it is not.
Our workshop empowers participants to step in and support others when they observe a micro-aggression, using the Recognise, Choose and Act model. In short, recognising a micro-aggression, choosing when to intervene, and acting in a way that could positively influence the outcome. If it is safe to intervene, bystanders can either disrupt the situation or directly confront the harasser. A bystander should focus on the needs and experience of the recipient of the behaviour whatever their action.
The Workshop encourages participants to consider and reflect on the lens through which they view the world and their own conscious/unconscious biases. We acknowledge that it can feel uncomfortable to reflect on these. Participants then considered how our own experiences and perspectives might impact how we respond as a bystander. Participants work in small groups to consider Case Vignettes (including scenarios from everyday life, University life and clinical placement) discussing how to apply the Recognise, Choose, Act model if they were the bystander.
Since the pilot workshops, Dr Anna Hammond is leading the rollout of the workshop to the wider HYMS community. In September, the Workshop was delivered to all the HYMS (clinician) Year 1 and 2 Problem Based Learning tutors (PBL). It received positive feedback and sparked thoughtful discussions and immediate practical impact. As a direct consequence of these workshops, all Year 1 and Year 2 PBL tutors are ensuring that, as part of the discussion of PBL Group ground rules they role model to students that everyone can unintentionally (or intentionally) cause offence and if this is the case, then they as tutors, would like to empower their students to let them know if they have done so – and similarly for the students.
During the 2021/2022 academic year, the Workshop will be delivered to all Year 3 students and in future, hopefully all Year 3 students will attend a Bystander Training workshop during the transition block at the start of Year 3 as they move to full time clinical placement.
[1] Microaggressions in Everyday Life, Professor Derald Wing Sue 2010
