Black Doctor Says Delta Flight Attendant Rejected Her; Sought ‘Actual Physician’
Dr. Cross wrote about the episode in a Facebook post later that day, saying she had put her hand up to help, but was met with the kind of skepticism she had encountered before as a black doctor. A flight attendant demanded her “credentials” and confirmation that she was a real physician.
“She said to me: ‘Oh no, sweetie put ur hand down; we are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel. We don’t have time to talk to you.’ ”
.. On Friday, Delta Air Lines said in a statement on its website that it was investigating what happened and had reached out to Dr. Cross. The statement said: “Three medical professionals identified themselves on the flight in question. Only one was able to produce documentation of medical training.”
.. “I think minorities in general, especially in my field of practice — I feel that they are always questioned and always assumed to be the nurse or the nurse’s aide or here as part of the janitorial team or ancillary staff,” she said. “Several times I come in the room, I am assumed to be one of the ancillary staff.”
.. Some of the conversations spurred by Dr. Cross’s Facebook post centered on what researchers call implicit bias, or unconscious processing about race. According to the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, implicit bias can affect the decisions jurors make in courts, the assumptions by law enforcement officials about minorities and the relationships between students and teachers, and doctors and patients.
.. Then a white male passenger approached the flight attendant and said he was a physician. According to Dr. Cross, the flight attendant turned to her and said, “Thanks for your help, but he can help us, and he has his credentials.”
On Facebook, Dr. Cross wrote: “Mind you, he hasn’t shown anything to her. Just showed up and fit the ‘description of a doctor.’ ”