More Minority Physicians Needed

category: Dafé’s Café - Daily Dose of Medical News,MyDocHub
by Dafé,

Black Doctor

In a time of change, this is the time to boost the numbers of minority physicians. According to a 2004 survey from the American Association of Medical Colleges, only 3.5% of U.S. physicians are black, while blacks make up 12.3% of the U.S. population. There is also a similar gap among Hispanic doctors and the Hispanic population in the United States. In 1975, the proportion of medical school students who were minority students peaked at 8.1%, though that percentage has “leveled off and … might have fallen,” according to an East Brunswick Home News Tribune editorial.

Since studies show that when minority patients can select a health care professional, they are more likely to choose someone of their own racial and ethnic background, hence increasing their patient satisfaction. These studies show what some minority groups are looking for in the health care system, and all that is needed is to get the wheel turning.

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Medical School Rankings Based on Social Mission | MyDocHub Blog - Online Health Community | 15 June 2010, 16:24
[...] main criteria in their rankings. According to NPR, “social mission – producing doctors who are minorities, practice primary care and/or work in underserved areas, private schools (especially those in the [...]