Drop In Black Men In Medical School Will Have Alarming Affects On Community Health

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Drop In Black Men In Medical School Will Have Alarming Affects On Community Health

August 12, 2015 ‐ By Chelcee Johns

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I can remember episodes from the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and other Black sitcoms where the wife wanted the husband to make a doctor’s appointment. The whole ordeal took much convincing and treat-baiting. Unfortunately, this isn’t just left for TV episodes. Men seem to have more of a problem going to the doctor, but what can help is speaking with someone who looks like them. A new report shows this may begin to happen less and less as the number of Bblack men in medical school has declined.

The Association of American Medical Colleges found that in 2014, 1,337 Black men applied for medical school while in 1978 there were 1,410 applicants. The number may seem small, but the real issue is that over the past 35 years that number should have grown. It could also have huge consequences for African American communities.

“Not having physicians with whom patients can connect can have a dramatic effect on their health,” Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick told The Root.

Dr. Frederick is a physician and President of Howard University who explained that expansion of Black male medical school applicants should be the goal, as other racial groups of doctors have grown or at least remained steady.

“The dramatic thing about it is that it hasn’t expanded. You would hope that you would have a larger number of African-American males being trained in medicine. That number presents a dramatic fall—the fact that it’s a lower number given the population.”

Black men often face more barriers to medical school, including funding and finding mentors. Frederick has found that the incoming freshmen of black men are scoring high on their standardized tests, but choosing careers in finance over medicine. And while it’s great that these men are succeeding in other fields, a lack of future Black male doctors also means a lack of mentors that can help support and guide young aspiring physicians of color.

The study interviewed doctors and medical students and many stated resilience was a key characteristic necessary to succeed in the field where Black men face many stereotypes regarding their professional growth.

So, what does this mean for the African American community at large? Well, many men and women alike have a certain level of distrust in medical research due to incidents such as the Tuskegee Experiment or even the recent news claiming Planned Parenthood was started with the goal of aborting African American babies. This history often cripples those making decisions to participate in necessary medical research or even making appointments. A decline in Black doctors will only add to this.

“Tuskegee has left a long-lasting impression. Signing up African Americans in clinical research is already a difficult thing to do. It becomes more difficult if you have fewer African American physicians. It can have really dramatic effects in terms of overall health for certain communities,” said Dr.Frederick.

Do you prefer an African American doctor?

http://madamenoire.com/578813/black-men-in-medical-school/

It's racist to refuse to go to a doctor just because he / she doesn't have the same skin color as the patient. So in conclusion the "alarming affects on community health" are simply a result of institutional racism in the "affected" community.

Hopefully the mentioned community can see fit to look past skin color when they seek medical care. If not, then no sympathy (nor even mention) is due for these "alarming affects".

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[Boiler 43,428]

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Granted that they're attackable, but let's just keep tempers down and focus on the topic rather than each other. And, seriously: if something's intolerable and treads on the Terms of Service, report it. That's why we Mods are paid such lavish salaries.

Obvious attempt at levity misfires lol

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

It's racist to refuse to go to a doctor just because he / she doesn't have the same skin color as the patient. So in conclusion the "alarming affects on community health" are simply a result of institutional racism in the "affected" community.

Hopefully the mentioned community can see fit to look past skin color when they seek medical care. If not, then no sympathy (nor even mention) is due for these "alarming affects".

Next

There was a thread in the past about how some white people did not want to be treated by black doctors and how racist that was. The usual suspects lost thier mind on the issue. I remember it well cause I got a time out for suggesting it was tied to afermitive action.

The hypocritical race hysteria wagon continues to roll

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It's racist to refuse to go to a doctor just because he / she doesn't have the same skin color as the patient. So in conclusion the "alarming affects on community health" are simply a result of institutional racism in the "affected" community.

Hopefully the mentioned community can see fit to look past skin color when they seek medical care. If not, then no sympathy (nor even mention) is due for these "alarming affects".

Next

Racism kind of involves someone being disadvantaged as a result of someone else's prejudice. People can self loathe but you can't really be racist against yourself.

[Boiler 43,428]

Racism kind of involves someone being disadvantaged as a result of someone else's prejudice. People can self loathe but you can't really be racist against yourself.

You run a Business, somebody will not use your Business solely based on the colour of your skin.

What do you call that?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You run a Business, somebody will not use your Business solely based on the colour of your skin.

What do you call that?

I think we all know very well that the profitability of the US health system is about how much money a person has and their ability to pay, far more so than individual's personal preferences about the doctor.

Disenfranchisement in healthcare is due to economics and it works against patients, not doctors.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

You run a Business, somebody will not use your Business solely based on the colour of your skin.

What do you call that?

Well if you are white and the business is black it's racism

If you are black and the business is white, it's because of cultural oppression .

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well if you are white and the business is black it's racism

If you are black and the business is white, it's because of cultural oppression .

What is striking in this thread is the complete disregard of any attempt to discuss the topic, in favour of bigoted soundbites.

Access to affordable and quality healthcare is one of the biggest issues Americans face, surely it deserves more of a response than pointing fingers at black Americans and suggesting that the deficiencies in healthcare among that demographic, the lack of black doctors and disparities in community care standards are due to racism. Its such a large subject that trying to tie it to any one causal factor (certainly one as dubious as racism) is laughably simplistic.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Venkman

[Boiler 43,428]

Its such a large subject that trying to tie it to any one causal factor (certainly one as dubious as racism) is laughably simplistic

.

Which is the point being made.

[Not a Tailor 1,370]

You run a Business, somebody will not use your Business solely based on the colour of your skin.

What do you call that?

Well, it depends. Do people of your skin colour consistently give substandard care due to subconscious prejudices or educational prejudices in the industry in which your business exists?

Cause I dunno, I think my preference for POC doctors is honestly self preservation.