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How Race and Gender Affect Medical Specialty

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The AAMC published an interesting piece recently showcasing the results of their Physician Specialty Data Report on the interplay of race, gender, and specialty. 

It’s worth combing through the data yourself, but here are a few takeaways:

Doctors from underrepresented groups are more concentrated in primary care fields. These specialties are extremely needed and noble, but since primary care is less well remunerated than surgical specialties, it’s worth thinking about the disproportionate density of minority physicians.

Women make up the majority of medical school students for the fourth year in a row.  

Women represent a significant minority in surgical specialties like orthopedic surgery (5.9%), thoracic surgery (8.3%) and neurosurgery (9.6%). Ouch.

Focusing on another demographic, the doctor workforce has grown older. Over 46% of active U.S. doctors are 55+. That number was ~38% in 2007. 

For more details, read the report here.

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Secondary Essays: The Diversity Prompt

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I’ve had several questions recently on how to approach secondary essays, so I’ll address some common prompts over the next month or so in this blog.

In considering your strategy and content for the diversity prompt, I’d recommend you ask yourself the following question:

What ethnic, religious, racial, gender, language, socioeconomic, or sexual orientation aspects of me, my family, or my experience make me distinctive?

Please note that experience is part of the question I have posed. An applicant I mentored a few years back wrote to me concerned that she did not fit into a minority category and thus, could not answer the prompt effectively. I suggested she consider an experience that targeted the prompt’s theme, and she wrote a strong essay about her successful efforts to increase diversity during sorority rush. When I applied to medical school, I crafted one of my secondary essays on my experience hearing Spike Lee speak on my college campus. 

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

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Medical School Applications are at their Highest Level Ever

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In 2021, medical school applications from first-time candidates increased a startling 18%. More than 62,000 students applied to medical school in 2021, compared to approximately 53,000 the year prior. It’s unclear what caused such a large jump: It’s possible the pandemic was not a factor and that many students had planned to apply prior to COVID-19’s emergence. After all, it takes many years of planning to have a ready candidacy. Or perhaps individuals may have been inspired by healthcare workers’ dedication during the beginning of the pandemic. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in applications from Black and Hispanic students, which is encouraging.

With increasing numbers of candidates, medical schools will be more selective about which applicants they accept. Perhaps some students will consider physician assistant training as an alternative, however, enrollment there is up as well.

Take a look at this short piece by Dr. Thomas Cook, the Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Residency at Prisma Health in Columbia, for more analysis.

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You Can’t Be It If You Can’t See It

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I had the great opportunity to see the film Black Men in White Coats last week as part of an HMS alum event. The documentary follows several African American male doctors and, in particular, the founder of the Black Men in White Coats organization Dr. Dale Okorodudu, a pulmonary and critical care physician. Here’s the trailer for the film. 

African American men represent only 2% of all physicians, and they are applying to medical school in lower numbers than decades ago. Dr. Okorodudu is trying to improve those numbers through his organization’s efforts, including impressive outreach to kids.

If you have a chance to see the film, I highly recommend it.

 

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The New York Times Ethicist

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I field questions from clients about how to identify themselves racially and ethnically on their applications, and as diversity becomes a more prominent priority for many academic institutions, this issue will come up more often. The New York Times Ethicist answers an interesting moral dilemma posed by a medical school applicant in a recent column. Enjoy. 

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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