Fellow RMAs: Do you ever feel disrespected by the providers you assist?

Heyy everyone!

So, I recently started my first job as an official RMA straight out of school—yay! I’m loving the work itself, and I’ve been getting great feedback from management and patients. The doctors and office manager seem really happy with my skills, how quickly I picked up on the EHR, company policies, and all the tasks. I basically hit the ground running and needed minimal training.

But… here’s the thing. It’s urgent care so there’s a ton of procedures done and test ran that I do the most of plus the admin side I do alone. The providers I assist (mostly NPs and PAs) haven’t been the most pleasant to work with. I don’t want to jump to conclusions or tie it to race, but I’m the only Black person on the team, and I can’t help but notice they interact with me differently than they do with our coworkers who look like them. When talking to me, it’s often with this condescending tone—like I’m an incompetent kid—while they’re noticeably kinder and more respectful to others.

It’s exhausting mentally. They bark commands, make unnecessary snarky comments, and act like I’m not contributing anything when, honestly, I feel like I’m doing the bulk of the work. I’m the one carrying out the patient’s entire experience from start to finish, while they just sit back and delegate. I don’t expect anyone to kiss my ass, but a little respect would go a long way.

Have any other RMAs (or anyone in similar roles) dealt with this kind of treatment from providers? How do you handle it, especially when you’re trying to stay professional? Is this just part of the job, or is it a toxic workplace issue? I’d love to hear your experiences!