Equitable representation of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the physician workforce will take over 100 years without systemic change

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(23)00162-X/fulltext?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=277609794&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_buUswnClmL0nKXTUmJA9w0F6ZqmBXDM_E2WzAxcxoloJSPYEJWDW1gYwZMyNdfTfg91QyVXuK_hqGqD3B1DWZfKtnTQ&utm_content=277609794&utm_source=hs_email Absent action, the deficit in Indigenous representation among doctors could take 102 years to correct Less than half of 1% of working physicians and just 1% of medical students are American Indian or Alaska Native, a group that has seen no increase in numbers in med school enrollment in the past decade. Just 227 students from this group enrolled in medical school in 2021, STAT's Usha Lee McFarling tells us. An analysis that came out in Lancet Americas yesterday — Indigenous People’s Day — found that if the number of new Indigenous medical students does not increase, it will take 102 years before the number of physicians in this group reaches parity with their population within the U.S., which is nearly 3%. The authors, many of whom are Indigenous, proposed a host of remedies to increase numbers, from more federal support for tribal colleges and universities, designated seats for academically qualified Indigenous students, more pathway programs for medicine, a de-emphasis on MCAT scores for admission, and the recruitment of more Indigenous faculty at medical schools so they can help foster a sense of belonging.