Citation

Eala MAB. Acad. Med. 2023; 98(4): e430.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Association of American Medical Colleges, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/ACM.0000000000005148

PMID

36989409

Abstract

In June 2022, I left my family and home in the Philippines and traveled halfway around the world to begin residency training in the United States. Mine is a journey of over 7,000 international medical graduates (IMGs)1 who have successfully matched at a residency program. From the United States Medical Licensing Examinations, to research publications and work experience, to interviews and visa processing, the journey has been far from easy. Although my sacrifices and hard work have paid off, I am also gripped by fear, for I am a young Filipino woman finding my way to a country where anti-Asian hate is on the rise.

Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339% in 2021 compared with the previous year, with New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles showing the greatest increase.2 The Philippine Consulate General in New York has reported more than 40 anti-Asian hate crimes against Filipinos since 2021.3 In March 2022, a Filipino woman was punched and stomped on more than 125 times, resulting in fractures and lacerations to the head and face and an intracranial hemorrhage.4 With growing racism against Asians driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, "Asian health care workers are at a unique intersection of increased risk for prejudice and discrimination in both their personal and professional lives."...

Language: en