The need for support services for minority pre-allied health majors

The success of increased efforts to gain admission for larger numbers of minority students into allied health programs will require improvement in the competitiveness of minority allied health applicants. A survey of pre-allied health majors shows that, although a majority of Black and Hispanic preprofessional students have taken science courses in high school, 53.8% of Hispanic and 34% of Black students surveyed reported college science grade point averages in the C to D range. If minority students are going to become more competitive in the admissions process, they will need increased support services at the preprofessional level. To increase the ethnic representation of their student bodies, schools and colleges of allied health will have to increase recruitment efforts, incorporate diversity factors (e.g., consideration of ethnic background, sex, geographic area, and ability to surmount academic difficulties) into admissions criteria, and place a priority on developing academic enrichment programs.