2 Applicant Profiles - Which is stronger?

[MedPR]

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Makes sense for patients to see doctors who can speak their language, but come on. Regardless of the race, i'm sure a patient would care more about being treated than by the doctor's ethnicity.

I work with lots of black people and I've heard most of them say something about disliking white doctors.

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[Narmerguy]

Makes sense for patients to see doctors who can speak their language, but come on. Regardless of the race, i'm sure a patient would care more about being treated than by the doctor's ethnicity.

You are working under the assumption that the doctors of different races will somehow give different quality of care? One's MCAT & GPA do not indicate the quality of doctor beyond a particular threshold.

 

[Testosterone]

I work with lots of black people and I've heard most of them say something about disliking white doctors.

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Yeah, and also if you read the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, you can sort of get a sense of how much the Lacks family and the surrounding black Baltimore communities were suspicious of predominately white doctors at Hopkins, even before they stole those Hela cells.

 

[487806]

You are working under the assumption that the doctors of different races will somehow give different quality of care? One's MCAT & GPA do not indicate the quality of doctor beyond a particular threshold.

😕😕 Wait, I'm lost here...

The point I'm saying is why should a patient care about the doctor's ethnicity? The patient would simply want to be treated and be healthy again, so I don't know why a patient would be bothered by a doctor of a different race.

I work with lots of black people and I've heard most of them say something about disliking white doctors.

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So, how is this the doctors' fault? It looks like the patients were forced to be set up with these doctors, but so what? Why does race have to play a role in determining a doctor's work ethics? As long as the doctor does a good job, shouldn't the patient be happy?

 

[MedPR]

So, how is this the doctors' fault? It looks like the patients were forced to be set up with these doctors, but so what? Why does race have to play a role in determining a doctor's work ethics? As long as the doctor does a good job, shouldn't the patient be happy?

Hey don't ask me, I'm not the one who doesn't want to see a doctor unless his/her skin color matches mine.

 

[Narmerguy]

😕😕 Wait, I'm lost here...

The point I'm saying is why should a patient care about the doctor's ethnicity? The patient would simply want to be treated and be healthy again, so I don't know why a patient would be bothered by a doctor of a different race.

You set up a dichotomy between the patients concerns for being treated and her/his concerns for the ethnicity of the doctor. The content of the posts that you were quoting/responding to were comparing the fairness of students from different ethnicities getting accepted with different stats, and also whether or not they brought additional benefits by simply identifying with their patients' ethnicity. I thought your argument was a part of that debate.

If you are instead arguing that patients will completely not care about the ethnicity of their doctors...you likely need more exposure to healthcare settings. There are many patients that feel uncomfortable with their doctors because of differences in ethnicity, patients that question the legitimacy of their doctors because of their ethnicity, and patients that feel extra comfort from their doctor's ethnicity (be them Hispanic, Asian, Black, or White).

 

[487806]

You set up a dichotomy between the patients concerns for being treated and her/his concerns for the ethnicity of the doctor. The content of the posts that you were quoting/responding to were comparing the fairness of students from different ethnicities getting accepted with different stats, and also whether or not they brought additional benefits by simply identifying with their patients' ethnicity. I thought your argument was a part of that debate.

If you are instead arguing that patients will completely not care about the ethnicity of their doctors...you likely need more exposure to healthcare settings. There are many patients that feel uncomfortable with their doctors because of differences in ethnicity, patients that question the legitimacy of their doctors because of their ethnicity, and patients that feel extra comfort from their doctor's ethnicity (be them Hispanic, Asian, Black, or White).

The first paragraph was my disagreement with another poster who set up that connection.

See, in the case of patients who have little English knowledge (say Hispanic etc.), I agree it's best for them to have a Spanish doctor. I agree that patients would like to see doctors with their same ethnicity, but that shouldn't be a main factor.

 

[MedPR]

The first paragraph was my disagreement with another poster who set up that connection.

See, in the case of patients who have little English knowledge (say Hispanic etc.), I agree it's best for them to have a Spanish doctor. I agree that patients would like to see doctors with their same ethnicity, but that shouldn't be a main factor.

But reality isn't always what you think it should be.

 

[487806]

But reality isn't always what you think it should be.

I agree. It's inevitable. It's just disappointing to see this occurring.

 

[MedPR]

I agree. It's inevitable. It's just disappointing to see this occurring.

Yup, definitely disappointing. I guess the AAMC is just doing what they think will help the situation best.

 

[imymemine]

Hey everyone, I just have a scenario in my head.

Imagine the following 2 students applying to medical school, both of whom are white males and biology majors.

Applicant A:

3.932 GPA
37 MCAT
A few, one-time physician shadows
1 year of non-medical research (required for his degree)
No leadership experience, but a member of a few ECs
2 week service-based study abroad trip in Africa
Proficient in Spanish (has a Spanish minor)
Chemistry minor
Small group peer leader for introductory chemistry
From the suburbs (excellent college prep high school)

Applicant B:

3.712 GPA
30 MCAT
Physician shadowing (both MD and DO) and shadowing in medically-related careers (psychology, public health)
3 years of non-medical and medical research (in an internship and for his degree)
President (and other offices) of multiple organizations, and plenty of community service hours
6 week intensive language study abroad trip in Spain
Proficient in Spanish
Sociology minor
From a rural town (lacking college prep status at his high school)

What is your take on these applicants?

i think it depends on the medical school. my instinct is the university of washington would prefer applicant B, as would other places that really like rural roots, lots of shadowing, and/or lots of community service. however i bet if these two people applied broadly, person A would end up with more interviews, based on the killer stats. assuming they are decent interviewers i would bet both of them would get in somewhere. i think i'd prefer to be applicant A because i would expect to have more success over a broader range of schools.