Editorial: 12/07/07
December 7, 2007
Bad Medicine
We have long heard of the so-called “bamboo ceiling” in the field of business — Asian American employees who are held back from career advancement because they are perceived by their white superiors as timid, passive, and lacking the aggressive qualities that white America deems necessary to become a leader. Language skills are also a factor in this barrier to promotion: white executives believe, whether accurately or not, that Asian employees lack the communication abilities to effectively represent the company and work with clients at the highest levels.
Now comes word that our cultural differences may also be a hindrance to advancement in the halls of both medical schools and hospitals during hands-on training for medical students known as clinical clerkships.
As Rex Feng reports in this issue, the Journal of the National Medical Association published a study in October showing that Asian American medical students, among other minorities, reported lower overall grades than whites. According to report co-author Katherine B. Lee, who is also national president of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, Asian American medical students may receive lower grades not because of academic ability, but because their culturally based styles of communication come across negatively in a classroom or clerkship environment. The study indicates that white medical students may receive higher grades from observing physicians because they are more assertive than their minority classmates; Asian American students scored lower on assertiveness than their white counterparts.
The study’s findings are distressing, but we should not necessarily have to give up our culturally ingrained behaviors to get ahead in this country, whether it be in medical school, business or any other field. Though we may not be as brash, aggressive, boastful and cutthroat as others, we should not be so quick to give up our cultural traits. We should take pride in our sometimes quiet, patient, respectful ways. And though we may speak with an accent or not be a native English speaker, we can still be highly capable doctors.
We realize that compromise is inevitable in this situation, but we should not be the only ones to adjust our behavior; supervisors should broaden their definition of what a successful doctor or leader is, acknowledging our culturally driven modes of communication and behavior.
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[…] Asians still passive, self-effacing that we are prevented from advancing to high executive level? AsianWeek
[…] Asians still passive, self-effacing that we are prevented from advancing to high executive level? AsianWeek
[…] or leader is, acknowledging our culturally driven modes of communication and behavior. Source: AsianWeek � Editorial: 12/07/07 […]
I am a 45 year old Japanese American male in the high tech industry. I have battled for years to get to the VP level, and have seen weaker (in my opinion) white males and females pass me by. In my current company, a white male has been promoted twice this year and is probably the weakest and most inexperienced manager in the company. I have been told that I’m a great manager, have always been able to motive strong successful teams and have generally been praised as a “mid-level” manager. Why no higher? Probably because there are few to no Asian Senior Managers wherever I go. Once you get to the VP level, most companies are almost completely white. It’s the sign of the times, and as long as people like Ward Connerly continue to be touted as a “minority voice”, progress will not be made.