Increasing the Diversity of the Physician Workforce

“Any economist will tell you that diversification is the key to a secure portfolio. Any geneticist will tell you that diversification is key to maintaining hardy species of plants and animals. But somehow, when it comes to racial politics, the virtues of diversity are lost. Diversity in healthcare is not about fair representation – it is about saving lives.” – Commissioner George Strait, Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs, University of California, Berkeley A more diverse physician workforce is critical in health care and medical education in order to further promote excellence in medical education and accessible, quality health care, particularly to those populations that are underserved and bear the greater burden of health disparities. For purposes of this discussion the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Sullivan Commission definition is used of racial and ethnic diversity in the health care workforce.  This encompasses several characteristics including: (1) the representation of all racial and ethnic groups from the community served within a given health care agency, institution, or system; (2) the system-wide incorporation of diverse skills, talents, and ideas from those racial and ethnic groups; and (3) the sharing of professional-development opportunities and resources, as well as responsibilities and power among all racial and ethnic groups and at all levels of a given agency, institution, or system. [1] While the basic concep...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs