My project is an ethnographic study on stigma experienced by healthcare workers (e.g., nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, case workers, etc.) employed by private medication-assisted addiction treatment (MAT) clinics in Maryland. Through interviews and observation, I gathered information about how stigma shaped prescriptive practices for pain management.

I’ve been a medical scribe at a MAT clinic in Towson for nearly two years now. Early on, I was struck by our patient population’s lived experiences. A recurring theme throughout my observations was that of stigma—not only regarding substance use disorder, but MAT as well. For example, some patients described going to great lengths to hide taking their prescribed MAT medication from family members. Through conversations with the providers I scribed with, I quickly realized that this stigma surrounding MAT doesn’t just affect patients; it also impacts MAT staff and their prescribing practices. However, when I began seeking to understand how stigma within the field of MAT is characterized, I discovered something surprising: a gap in current literature on the lived experiences of providers, prescribers, and other healthcare workers in the field. My work seeks to bridge this gap by hearing, learning from, and telling their stories.

During my background research, it has been both insightful and surprising to explore the nuanced historical landscape within which MAT operates. My project revolves around healthcare workers’ personal perceptions of stigma, but I’ve come to understand more fully how important it is to situate their experiences within larger sociopolitical contexts. For example, I’ve been exploring the complex relationship between the field of pain management and MAT, particularly in light of the opioid crisis, the nationally publicized role of Purdue Pharma in exacerbating this crisis, and the ensuing stigma associated with medication prescription. I look forward to uncovering more layers of this landscape as I learn from my interviewees’ experiences.

In addition to addressing current gaps in literature regarding the experiences of MAT clinic staff, I hope my work can be illuminating for those impacted by MAT, including patients, their families, and healthcare workers (within and outside of MAT). One of my goals is to create a version of my thesis that is narrative-based and more digestible for laypeople. Given the current sociopolitical climate where there is widespread mistrust of medical systems, I hope that through clear communication and the humanization of healthcare workers, my work can begin dismantling inaccurate understandings of MAT and work towards less stigmatized experiences for patients and healthcare workers alike.