Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Racism in Medicine: Physician Survey Findings

In the fall of 2023, the Saskatchewan Medical Association’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan’s Diversity and Bias Committee conducted a joint survey to gain a better understanding of the experience of racism within the medical profession in Saskatchewan.

While there are many results that can be extracted from the survey, this report focuses on the key questions addressed in the survey: Is racism an issue among physicians, residents, and medical students in Saskatchewan?

Our Commitment to Building a Healthier Profession

The Saskatchewan Medical Association is committed to equity, diversity and inclusivity in our governance bodies to reflect the diverse physician population in Saskatchewan. Our physicians and patients include people of different racial backgrounds, ages, genders, spiritual affiliations, and modes of practice. 

The SMA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee has mandate to tackle the issue of systemic racism in the profession.  

The SMA invites all physicians to participate in EDI initiatives. If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions for the committee, or are interested in joining, please contact sma@sma.sk.ca.  

  1. Provide more physician, student, and resident supports and resources.

  2. Facilitate diversity and inclusion in the SMA and on committees while being cognizant of tokenism and the “saviour syndrome.”

  3. Equip, enable, and empower all physicians to call out racism and discrimination.

  4. Develop the system infrastructure to support this cultural shift.

  5. Share stories and highlight what is working but do your due diligence when it comes to who and what is being celebrated.

  6. Provide further mentorship, orientation, and integration support.

  7. Improve competency assessment and training.

A Complaint or Report is a written statement submitted to the SMA regarding a personal experience of racism, discrimination, harassment, and/or reprisal. SMA members who write and submit a Complaint or Report agree to be contacted by an EDI team member who will ask questions to better understand what happened.

Complaint or Report forms can be submitted by physicians, residents, and medical students ONLY. We will not respond to complaints from the public. (MySMA member log-in required to access the form.) 

To make a Complaint or Report:

  • Complete the complaint form and submit to the SMA.
  • The Physician Health Program team will meet to review the complaint and decide if it will be referred for investigation.
  • The SMA Physician Lead, EDI will reach out to explain the team’s decision and explain next steps.

Complaint Procedure Flowchart

Complaint submission form

The form can be submitted by physicians, residents, and medical students only (MySMA member log-in required to access the form). 

Registration is open for this self-paced, online course, developed by the Division of Social Accountability, College of Medicine.

SMA physician members can register here and add the course to their cart. Before checking out, under Options click the box “Apply a discount” and enter code ARTP2024-SMA to waive the course fee. The code is open to the first 140 registrants on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The course has received an educational grant or in-kind support from the SMA and the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc., and Scotiabank.

Click here to see the poster.

 

For support, please call SMA’s reception on 306-244-2196 or 1-800-667-3781 and ask to speak to a member of the Workplace Wellbeing Team, or email:  workplace.wellbeing@sma.sk.ca