A future doctor's thoughts on Affirmative Action
OPINION - Today, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments in a case that challenges the legal viability of affirmative action. Now more than ever, the United States needs to consciously cultivate a diverse physician workforce...
Talented students from underprivileged backgrounds may not be exposed to medical professionals to help them see that medicine is an attainable profession. More importantly, they may not have role models to help them realize this reality. “Affirmative action is needed due to the disadvantaged education and lack of role models in [many] of their families,” says Dr. Elena Rios, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association.
In 2008, African-Americans, Hispanics and American Indians made up more than a third of the U.S. population, yet, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, this group only represented 12.3 percent of the physician workforce. That same year, 75 percent of practicing physicians that graduated from M.D.-granting medical schools were white and 12.8 percent were Asian. The population of physicians in the United States does not reflect the population of the country at large.
Unfortunately, this trend restricts access to care. In a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, doctors who acknowledge the persistence of racial disparities say that “a lack of doctors in minority communities and communication difficulties are the primary reasons…because many minority groups live in areas where there are fewer doctors or other health providers or because many doctors are not skilled in communicating with people from different racial or ethnic backgrounds.”
Dr. Rahn K. Bailey is the president of the National Medical Association, an organization that represents black physicians. “Patients should have the opportunity to choose providers and doctors from all backgrounds,” Bailey explains. She adds that barriers and cultural impasses between provider and patients can prevent patients from visiting the doctor.
Increasing the number of minority medical students does more than simply feed the physician workforce. Diversity in educational settings elevates learning for all students.
As a medical student, I believe that learning with and from those who are different from you helps you develop a profound appreciation for the richness experience that makes each person who they are. Students who train in these environments become more culturally competent physicians, and regardless of race, become better suited to meet the nation’s healthcare needs.
The U.S. Department of Health of Human Services predicts that by 2050, racial and ethnic minorities will comprise half of the U.S. population. Furthermore, 50 million Americans, half of whom are ethnic minorities, will become insured under the Affordable Care Act and increase the demand for culturally competent medical care.
In the past, the AAMC has expressed concern about the underrepresentation of minorities in medicine, stating that it is not growing at a rate that will ensure the nation has the supply of minority physicians it needs.
Now more than ever, the United States needs to consciously cultivate a diverse physician workforce in order to work towards the goal of health equity. As such, affirmative action and race-conscious admissions policies are not only needed to strengthen the diversity physician workforce, but also fundamental to the alleviation of healthcare disparities.
