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Half of Swiss healthcare students saw discriminatory care. A survey of students at Zurich University of Applied Sciences found that nearly 50% witnessed unequal or discriminatory patient treatment during clinical training. Ethnicity was the top cited reason, followed by diagnosis — and the findings raise serious questions about how workplace culture shapes future healthcare professionals.
A new study out of Switzerland is shining a light on a troubling pattern: nearly half of healthcare students say they've witnessed patients being treated unequally or discriminatorily during their clinical placements. Researchers surveyed students across nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, midwifery, and other health programs at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and the results paint a concerning picture of everyday clinical culture.
The most commonly reported incidents involved inadequate or withheld care — think delayed pain medication, shortened treatments, or decisions made without patient input when language barriers arose. Derogatory language was nearly as common, with students describing verbal abuse, yelling, and patronizing behavior toward patients. Ethnicity and foreign origin were the most frequently cited reasons for differential treatment, followed by mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Students don't just learn medicine in classrooms — they absorb professional norms by watching how senior colleagues treat patients. When discrimination goes unaddressed, it risks becoming normalized. The study's authors are calling for structured debriefs, ethics sessions, and clearer reporting pathways to help break the cycle before the next generation of clinicians carries these behaviors forward.
