Iowa’s Implicit Bias Insult To Doctors

Iowa is effectively accusing doctors of being racist. That’s the reality following a 2021 meeting by the Iowa Board of Medicine. The minutes indicate that the board recommends that doctors study “implicit bias” as part of their licensing. Implicit bias training has no place in healthcare because it tells doctors they are guilty of racial prejudice simply because of their skin color.

The Board of Medicine is pushing an educational panel hosted by the Federation of State Medical Boards, which engages in woke advocacy nationwide. By listening to the panel, doctors obtain continuing education credit, which is required as part of regular license renewals. But the panel has nothing to do with education and everything to do with race-based ideology:

“At a time when many communities across America are struggling with issues of racial injustice and social unrest, national dialogue about systemic inequities is on the rise. Among the sectors increasingly being discussed is health care, where issues surrounding health equity – and the presence of racism and implicit bias – have been demonstrated…”

“Topics for discussion will include the impact of racism and implicit bias on health disparities and the need for systemic change to eliminate barriers that prevent access to quality care for at-risk communities.”

Implicit bias is just another word for racism. By recommending that doctors study a panel that says they hold such biases, the Iowa Board of Medicine is essentially accusing them of being racist. Yet that’s racially discriminatory in and of itself, and in any case, the evidence clearly shows that implicit bias testing is fatally flawed.

Thankfully, Iowa hasn’t mandated implicit bias training for all doctors – but that may be coming soon. Other states, including neighboring Illinois, already force doctors to take classes that say they’re racist because of their skin color. Let’s hope Iowa lawmakers investigate the Board of Medicine – and stop any mandatory implicit bias training in its tracks.

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