Work

The invisible conspicuous outsiders: Black students’ experiences in healthcare programmes – a case study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates how Black students experience and respond to both invisibility and hypervisibility within UK healthcare education. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of habitus and critical race theory, it addresses a key gap in existing literature, which often homogenises the experiences of ethnic minority students and overlooks the specific impact of anti-Black racism. Based on qualitative data from 21 students across seven healthcare programmes at a London university, the study reveals how institutional norms rooted in whiteness and middle-class values marginalise Black students, while simultaneously subjecting them to racialised scrutiny. By focusing exclusively on Black students and examining multiple healthcare disciplines, this study offers a novel, comparative lens on the systemic inequalities embedded in healthcare education. It also foregrounds the under-recognised cultural insights and professional strengths Black students develop in response to these challenges. The paper calls for more targeted institutional reforms to foster equity, recognition, and meaningful inclusion.

Source: Race Ethnicity and Education

DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2025.2585190