I have worked in two different trust as an SHO (CT equivalent) and I noticed that no matter what I do, some registrars and consultants would just not engage me during rounds and other activities. They would prefer to have conversations with the foundation doctors who are British or British trained or even allied medical workers during rounds. They would call them on phone and bypass me. I feel redundant a lot of times and it always looks like I am forcing myself to be useful to the team and be a part of the conversations.
I get weird looks and answers at times when I try to stimulate a chat or contribute to rounds or even ask questions. It’s like I am excluded from most things passively.
I ease it all off by being polite always, smiling, attempting to do things that are not even my job. I get a lot of compliments from patients and nurses and have never had a complaint or incident report against me.
I know some people might say its the British culture, but during induction, I remember being lectured about inclusion, equality, politeness, respect, and creating a healthy work environment where everyone can thrive, sadly the reality of the work environment is quite different from this.
Does anyone else face this? How do you cope?
I am an African and I’ve been unlucky to be the only African doctor in my unit in both hospitals where I’ve worked. I don’t know if it has anything to do with this.