S1493 Impostor Phenomenon and Microaggression Education and Self-Assessment in Female Healthcare Professionals in the Field of Gastroenterology

Introduction: Many high-achieving individuals, despite contrary evidence, believe their successes are due to luck rather than their own competence. This experience is termed “impostor phenomenon (IP).” IP and another experience, called micro-aggressions (MA), in the workplace may limit an individual’s ability to achieve career goals and professional satisfaction. A lecture was provided at a womens leadership conference to raise awareness about the prevalence of and strategies to mitigate IP and MA. Herein, we describe attendees’ assessment of their understanding of and exposure to IP and MA in order to understand the prevalence of these phenomena in female healthcare professionals and to guide future educational programming. Methods: Attendees were invited to complete an anonymous survey for self-reflection, including demographic information, experience with IP and micro-aggressions, and completion of the Clance IP Scale, a validated survey assessing the level of IP characteristics. Surveys were collected at the conclusion of the lecture on IP and MA. We report group demographics, prevalence of IP and MA, and factors associated with level of IP. Demographic data is reported as percentages and survey scores reported as means. Results: 86/132 (65%) attendees completed the survey and 97.7% were female. (Table 1) 50% were practicing gastroenterologists, 21.3% GI fellows, 13.8% medical residents, 6.3% advanced practice providers, and 1.3% medical students. 88.2% reported having experienced feelings of IP and 92.7% reported being a target of MA. The mean Clance IP scale score was 66.8 (ranging from 39 to 91). Only 1.2% of respondents reported few IP experiences while 69% scored in the frequent to intense feelings of IP. Black, younger, and medical trainee respondents had the highest IP scores compared to practicing gastroenterologists, advanced practice providers, and other respondents. IP scale scores decreased with age (Figure 1). Conclusion: Exposure to IP and MA is experienced almost universally by female healthcare professionals in the field of gastroenterology. IP is quantified as frequent and severe in nearly 3 of every 4 respondents. Based on our survey results, future educational programming to increase awareness of these issues and provide solutions to addressing them should be tailored towards early identification and intervention in trainees and young professionals as well as creating inclusive work environments that address systemic bias and fostering a work culture that supports diversity. Table 1. - Demographic Information and Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale Scoring Demographics Age (N = 86) N (%) 25-30 15 (17.4%) 31-35 24 (27.9%) 36-40 19 (22.1%) 41-45 12 (14.0%) 45-50 10 (11.6%) 51-55 4 (4.7%) 56 and older 2 (2.3%) Gender (N = 86) Female 84 (97.7%) Male 2 (2.3%) Ethnicity (N = 86) Black or African American 2 (2.3%) Asian 33 (38.4%) White 41 (47.7%) Hispanic or Latino 5 (5.8%) Prefer not to answer 5 (5.8%) Current employment status (N = 80) Medical student 1 (1.3%) Medical resident 11 (13.8%) GI fellow 17 (21.3%) Practicing gastroenterologist 40 (50.0%) Advanced practice provider 5 (6.3%) Other 6 (7.5%) Practicing gastroenterologist years in practice (N = 39) 1-5 17 (43.6%) 6-10 9 (23.1%) 11-15 7 (17.9%) 16-20 3 (7.7%) 21 and more 3 (7.7%) Have you ever had feelings of Impostor Phenomenon? (N = 85) Yes 75 (88.2%) No 4 (4.7%) I don’t know 6 (7.1%) Have you ever been a target of micro-aggression? (N = 82) Yes 76 (92.7%) No 1 (1.2%) I don’t know 5 (6.1%) Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale* Mean score (range) (N = 86) 66.8 (39 - 91) Number (%) of respondents scoring in each category Score < 40: few IP experiences/feelings 1 (1.2%) Score 41 – 60: moderate IP feelings/experiences 26 (30.2%) Score 61 – 80: frequently IP feelings/experiences 45 (52.3%) Score > 80: often has intense IP feelings/experiences 14 (16.3%) Mean score by age (N = 86) 25-30 (N = 15) 72.3 31-35 (N = 24) 70.1 36-40 (N = 19) 66.9 41-45 (N = 12) 63.6 45-50 (N = 10) 61.9 51-55 (N = 4) 56.5 56 and older (N = 2) 47.5 Mean score by ethnicity (N = 86) Black or African American (N = 2) 81.5 Asian (N = 33) 68.2 White (N = 41) 64.8 Hispanic or Latino (N = 5) 64 Prefer not to answer (N = 5) 70 Mean score by employment status (N = 80) Medical student (N = 1) 71 Medical resident (N = 11) 73.6 GI fellow (N = 17) 73.7 Practicing gastroenterologist (N = 40) 64.9 Advanced practice provider (N = 5) 54.6 Other (N = 6) 61.5 Mean score by practicing gastroenterologist years in practice (N = 39) 1-5 (N = 17) 68.3 6-10 (N = 9) 60.3 11-15 (N = 7) 68.9 16-20 (N = 3) 56 21 and more (N = 3) 61.3 *Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). From The Impostor Phenomenon: When Success Makes You Feel Like A Fake (pp. 20-22), by P.R. Clance, 1985, Toronto: Bantam Books. Copyright 1985 by Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D., ABPP. Use by permission of Dr. Pauline Rose Clance. Do not reproduce/copy/distribute without permission from Pauline Rose Clance, [email protected], www.paulineroseclance.com. Figure 1.: Mean Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale Score by Age.

Fetched live from OpenAlex and de-inverted. Abstracts are not stored in this database: the inverted indexes are 8.6 GB of the frame’s 9.3 GB of text, and the host has 13 GB free.