Examining Parity among Black and Hispanic Resident Physicians

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Workforce Diversity
• Public Health

Background:

• The US physician workforce's racial and ethnic diversity does not mirror the patient population it serves.
• Addressing this disparity is crucial for equitable healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in the proportion of US physician trainees of Black and Hispanic ethnicity over an 11-year period.
• To project the time required for these specialties to achieve demographic parity with the general US population.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of 11 years of publicly available data on resident physicians.
• Data from the 20 largest US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) specialties were analyzed alongside US Census population estimates.

Main Results:

• Only Radiology showed a statistically significant increase in Black trainees, but parity is projected to take 77 years.
• Obstetrics/Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, and Orthopedic Surgery showed significant increases in Hispanic trainees, with parity projected in 35-93 years.
• No specialty achieved Black or Hispanic representation comparable to the US population within the study period.

Conclusions:

• Current initiatives to enhance physician workforce diversity are insufficient to achieve timely representation.
• Significant, accelerated efforts are needed to address the persistent racial and ethnic disparities in medical training programs.