As the proportion of underrepresented minority doctors in the United States fails to mirror the percentage of the corresponding minority groups in the general population, there exists a significant need to establish and maintain diversity within medical schools. For example, statistics released this year reveal that underrepresented minority groups account for just 12 percent of medical school enrollment, although they are 21 percent of the population. The national enrollment percentage for blacks equals only 50 percent of their representation in society. In addition, maintaining ethnic heterogeneity proves important in that diverse medical schools contribute strongly to doctors' adeptness at addressing the concerns of patients of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. As declining applications and a potential shift in admissions policies threaten to eliminate this real-life component of medical education, University Medical School officials should intensify their investigation of recruitment policies. Though some Medical School representatives argue that the drop lacks significance because of the corresponding drop in overall applications, the institution should investigate its current situation to avert larger - or even equivalent - declines in the future.
To its credit, the Medical School has already begun taking steps toward fostering diversity and a minority-friendly climate. The impetus for its recent actions came in 1996 when the results of a cultural diversity assessment revealed that minority students and faculty did not feel welcome at the University's Medical School. In fact, 95 percent of black students said they wouldn't stay at the Medical School if they were offered a position elsewhere. Latino/as and Native Americans, too, expressed a general dissatisfaction with the environment. In the wake of the findings, the school established a Diversity and Career Development Center in tandem with a mentorship program.
Generally designated as one of the nation's top medical institutions, the University Medical School should take note of its failing efforts and expand its current programs to ensure that students of all ethnic and racial backgrounds will seek out and enjoy the high-quality education it offers.