Written into our DNA and our neural circuitry is a way to make snap decisions without a great deal of data. This “System One” reasoning is how our ancestors managed to avoid being killed by predators. It is what people are using when they rely on their “instinct” or their “gut reaction”.
While System One thinking is fast and effortless, it is also often wrong. It causes us to avoid danger but also limits our ability to trust. To overcome it we use rational thought or “System Two”. System Two requires more effort and it is slower. But it allows us to see the reality behind our fears and mistrust. Understanding how your system one thinking interferes with your development of a doctor-patient relationship and how your patient’s unconscious bias interferes with their trusting, opening up and taking your recommendations is the subject of the Cultural Competency One Page Curriculum for PGY 3s. In this 1PC you will go online and take one of the Intrinsic Bias Surveys from Harvard University. You will then read a condensed version of “Everyday Bias” from the Cook-Ross Foundation. Then you will answer questions about two cases which are meant to make you think about your own bias as well as how to overcome the bias of a patient who may be quite different from you.