" THOSE WHO HAVE APPLIEDtomedical schoolknow the famous secondary interview question: How would you contribute to the diversity of our institution and the medical profession?
Diversity can come in many different forms, but for many the first thought that comes to mind is race and ethnicity. As the U.S. population becomes more racially, ethnically and culturally diverse, having a health care workforce that can relate to individuals of different backgrounds, skin colors and ethnicities could improve quality of care.
In fact, this is backed up by research. For example,studiesshow that when African American patients are seen by a Black physician, they may receive better quality care.
This has left many med school applicants discouraged, as they assume that if they are not from an ethnic or racial minority group, they will not be able to contribute diversity in any way. The good news is diversity goes beyond race, ethnicity,religionor sexual orientation. Any facet of an individual’s identity or experience that is unique or less common could make that individual more diverse. Here are a few examples of such experiences that applicants could share as a way to highlight diversity." …