Angela Miller, who is African-American, began the program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in 2006.
She encountered problems with her first two clinical supervisors, including “leaving a blood pressure cuff on a patient’s left arm, resulting in the operation being performed on the wrong arm,” according to the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision.
She complained to a program administrator about racial tensions but didn’t file a complaint with the university’s student services office as the administrator recommended.
In 2007 the program placed Miller on probation and gave her an improvement plan. However, she continued to receive criticism from her clinical supervisors for lack of preparation and failing to follow a physician’s instructions, including prematurely removing a catheter.
Ultimately she was dismissed and unsuccessfully pursued administrative appeals within the university. An investigation by the dean of student affairs found no evidence of harassment or discrimination, according to the decision.
A lower-court judge threw out Miller’s race discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation claims.
