Report

United States is rapidly becoming a more diverse nation, as demonstrated by the fact that non-white racial and ethnic groups will constitute a majority of the American population later in this century. Increasing racial and ethnic diversity among health professionals is important because evidence indicates that diversity is associated with improved access to care for racial and ethnic minority patients, greater patient choice and satisfaction, and better educational experiences for health professions students, among many other benefits. 

Many groups have worked to increase the preparation and motivation of underrepresented minority (URM) students to enter health professions careers.  Less attention, however, has been focused on strategies to reduce institutional- and policy-level barriers to URM participation in health professions training.

The report examines institutional and policy-level strategies--defined as specific policies and programs of health professions schools, their associations and accreditation bodies, health care systems/organizations, and state and federal governments--to increase diversity among health professionals.  Addressed in the report are an assessment and description of the potential benefits of greater diversity among health professionals and an assessment of strategies that may increase diversity in five areas including:

• admissions policies and practices of health professions education institutions;
• public (e.g., state and federal) sources of financial support for health professions training;
• standards of health professions accreditation organizations pertaining to diversity;
• the "institutional climate" for diversity at health professions education institutions; and
• the relationship between Community Benefit principles and diversity.