While the United States continues to experience a shortage of Black physicians, part of the solution may come from abroad.
With its progressive standards for admission and the academic support available to its students, the American University of Antigua and its administrators believe the Caribbean institution is uniquely equipped to supply the country with highly trained physicians of color to ultimately enhance the patient experience.
“Culturally incompetent care is connected to poor patient outcomes and increased health disparities, regardless of quality service,” said Neal Simon, president of AUA. “In order to know what sets us apart, you have to know what’s going on in the medical profession.”
A 2017 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, found that the number of Black males in medical schools has dropped since 1978 from 542 to 515 in 2014. AUA, however, matriculated over five times the national average for African-American males in 2015. For broader context, 13 percent of all students at American medical schools were underrepresented minorities in 2016. The same year, minority students made up 40 percent of AUA’s student body.
The MCAT is one explanation for the low national numbers. According to an AAMC report, experts in the field believe that the over-reliance on test scores for admission bars access for some talented students who may not be able to take the time off from working to study for the exam.
At AUA, Simon said, the admissions office does not dismiss an applicant for a low MCAT score.
“If someone provides us with a great MCAT score we would probably look at that like we look at anything else,” he said. He explained that all AUA students are required to take the MCAT either before or after enrollment because the institution needs to provide the U.S. Department of Education with test score data to qualify for federal funding. That said, a prospective student’s score can only strengthen the application. “We have a more holistic approach,” said Simon.
