As we recently celebrated Independence Day with fireworks all over the nation, I found myself reflecting on the recent Supreme Court decision to restrict the consideration of race in admission processes and what implications it may have in the diversity of our health workforce and other sectors.
As a Mexican American aspiring to become a physician, the challenges faced by other Latinos in pursuing advanced
education resonate with me.
Coupled with being a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, I confront additional barriers to in my pursuit of a medical education.
While the DACA program has provided many opportunities, such as attending college, there are still obstacles.
For example, in Georgia, the state that I have called home for almost 20 years, DACA recipients are barred from attending some of the state’s top institutions, and we are required to pay the out-of-state tuition rate regardless of how long we have lived there.
When it comes to obtaining a graduate education as a DACA recipient, the options and resources are scarce.
DACA recipients cannot apply to most medical schools in the US, and there is an even smaller number of medical schools that provide financial aid from private funds (as we cannot receive federal
aid).
While 80% of DACA beneficiaries are Latinos from Mexico, the challenge of obtaining an advanced degree extends to the greater Latino population in the US.
The growth of the Latino population in the US presents a challenge as the health workforce is not able to keep pace with this demographic trend; this poses a risk of widening health disparities in the future.
Latinos are not a monolith, and in therecent issue of Health Affairs, my colleagues and I published a study on the four largest Latino subpopulations (Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and "other" Latino Americans) and their representation in the US health workforce.
It highlights the need to recognize and understand the unique
cultural differences and needs of various Latino subpopulations.
We found that although the representation of Latinos in the health workforce has grown, they remain markedly underrepresented in health professions requiring advanced degrees.
More notably, Mexican Americans, the largest Latino subpopulation in the US, are the most underrepresented in the health diagnosing and treating professions which require advanced education.
In contrast, Cuban Americans are well represented compared to the three other subpopulations, in particular,
in the dentistry and physician professions. Although the study does not address the reasons behind low representation, existing literature points to several contributing factors. Underlying factors such as structural racism, discrimination, and socioeconomic inequalities have long existed, but the Affirmative Action Supreme Court ruling and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic will further exacerbate the health workforce shortage and hurt efforts to establish a racially and ethnically diverse health workforce reflective of the US
population.
Previous studies have shown that there are ample benefits to having a racially and ethnically diverse workforce.
The findings of this study provide crucial insights into the representation of Latinos in health professions
across subpopulations and underscore the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the barriers they face. It is important that we collectively work towards eliminating systemic obstacles, fostering diversity, and cultivating an inclusive health workforce that can effectively meet the needs of all Americans. Follow Indira on Twitter.
On Tuesday, August 1, Health Affairs will host it’s first-ever virtual live recording of the popular podcast, A Health
Podyssey. The event will be combined with the Health Affairs Policy Spotlight event series. We hope you will join us on that day when our Editor-in-Chief, Alan Weil, welcomes Dr. Meena Seshamani, the Director of the Office of Medicare at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). They will discuss several crucial issues that are
coming to the forefront including:
Implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with revised negotiation guidance coming summer
Recent significant policy changes related to Medicare Advantage
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewedjournalat the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking
content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
