Opportunities for Minorities - Page 6
such an educational level and are under intense
pressure to succeed. Many minority
students have attained admission to medical
school without encouragement, and may
even have been advised against pursuing higher
education or a professional career.
Therefore, for most of them, medical school is a
pioneering experience in a not too
supportive environment. This makes the process
an extremely challenging one. A
major element influencing this situation is a
lack of role models, since few minority
members come from physician families. Moreover,
only about 3% of all medical
school faculty are minority physicians.
(Included in this figure are those at predomi-
nantly black institutions.) There is the
perception that minority faculty are more
approachable and responsive to disadvantaged
students. Such support can be critical
to a student's progress. The number of minority
residents is unfortunately not large
enough to have them serve as role models. In
all, the lack of role models is considered
a critical issue in the retention of minority
students.
Medical schools that have been successful in
recruitment and retention of minori-
ties have made use of mentoring programs. A
mentor can provide a direct vision of
what it means to be a physician. The mentor can
not only offer support during diffi-
cult intervals, but also can help students make
pivotal career choices relative to such
issues as choosing electives, specialization,
and where to do one's residency training.
At some institutions, white faculty members
have been used to serve as mentors, due
to the shortage of minority
faculty.
A lack of social interaction in medical school
leads to a sense of isolation among
minority students. This leads them to form
their own networks, which helps to a degree.
Having a chapter of a national minority student
organization on campus also can be use-
ful as a form of protection against social
isolation.
Because of alienation early in their education,
minority students frequently do not
acquire desirable skills for group learning.
Also, they often are not prepared for the
demanding workload in medical school. For some
minority students who lack adequate
academic preparedness, improvement in study
skills is essential.
Success in handling standardized tests--the SAT
I or ACT exam, MCAT, or
USMLE--is especially challenging for minority
students. Hispanic students, who fre-
quently speak English as a second language, are
at a special disadvantage. Remaining in
medical school is often closely tied to
performance on Step 1 of the USMLE.
FINANCIAL AID FOR MINORITY
STUDENTS
The following listing gives a brief idea of the
scholarships and loans available for
minority group students. Additional information
is available from each of the sources
cited:
1. National Medical Fellowships, Inc. For
minority group students. Contact:
Executive Secretary, 110 West 32nd Street, New
York, NY 10001.
2. American Medical Association and Research
Foundation. Contact: Foundation,
535 North Dearborn, Chicago, IL
60610.
3. National Scholarship Service and Fund for
Negro Students. Contact: Executive
Director, NSSFNS Application Department, 250
Auburn Avenue, Suite 500,
Atlanta, GA 30303.
4. United Student Aid Funds, Inc. For
low-income families. Contact: Executive
Director, 11100 USA Parkway, Fishers, IN
46038.
5. Emergency Scholarships. For American Indian
students. Contact: Association
on American Indian Affairs, P.O. Box 268,
Sisseton, SD 57262
6. Bureau of Indian Affairs. For American
Indians and Eskimos. Contact: Director,
Higher Education Program, 500 Gold, S.W.,
Albuquerque, NM 87103.
User Comments Add a comment…