ERAS race/ethnicity question

[fistulitis]

If you're the stereotypical white male, is there any advantage to leaving these questions blank? Or are they just used for statistics afterwards?

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[Shah_Patel_PT]

If you're the stereotypical white male, is there any advantage to leaving these questions blank? Or are they just used for statistics afterwards?

If you are part of an overrepresented race in medicine...i would leave the "ethnicity" question blank!

Some programs do screen for Hispanic/AA/American Indian as minority fill ins that they need in programs.

To prevent being screened out...you can answer the race Q but leave ethnicity "no answer"

 

[deleted50478]

If you are part of an overrepresented race in medicine...i would leave the "ethnicity" question blank!

Some programs do screen for Hispanic/AA/American Indian as minority fill ins that they need in programs.

To prevent being screened out...you can answer the race Q but leave ethnicity "no answer"

Yeah, leave it blank and fool them. They'll never figure it out from your picture anyway.

 

[Induc(junc)tion]

Programs cant see your picture until you have been invited for an interview. So it may make the difference between an interview or not. Obviously, they will see you at the interview, but leaving that question unanswered may just get you an interview. I dunno. Maybe it will also make the program suspicious? Who knows?

 

[Cowboy DO]

I think if you left it blank it would look more like youre trying to hide something. Also a lot of times you can tell just from looking at the last name, so whats the use? Just answer it, its not a big deal.

 

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Yeah, leave it blank and fool them. They'll never figure it out from your picture anyway.

I dont think you understand how the process works! The picture can ONLY be viewed after an interview is granted.

 

[getinthehole]

So, you put down you don't wish to answer. Now we have 80-90% of applicants not wishing to answer on ethnicity status.

Who do you really think you would fool? By choosing not to answer, you are obviously caucasion and it looks bad. Do you really think they would think anything else? If you aren't caucasion and you say you wish not to answer, I'd wonder why you choose to do that and I'd wonder about you too. Just answer the question.

My opinion is that resident selection is quite different from medical school. You have to work with your residents and rely on them every single day. Why would you put significant weight into something as insignificant as race? Seems stupid.

 

[Hard24Get]

Who do you really think you would fool? By choosing not to answer, you are obviously caucasion and it looks bad. Do you really think they would think anything else? If you aren't caucasion and you say you wish not to answer, I'd wonder why you choose to do that and I'd wonder about you too. Just answer the question.

I'm not Caucasian and would prefer it be a color-blind process. I don't see why it is so hard to understand why I would want to be granted an interview irrespective of my race.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I'm not Caucasian and would prefer it be a color-blind process. I don't see why it is so hard to understand why I would want to be granted an interview irrespective of my race.

Most programs screen this information, so they don't see your answer no matter what you select.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Who do you really think you would fool? By choosing not to answer, you are obviously caucasion and it looks bad. Do you really think they would think anything else? If you aren't caucasion and you say you wish not to answer, I'd wonder why you choose to do that and I'd wonder about you too. Just answer the question.

First, I am not caucasian.

In my experience, less than 5% of people are able to guess my race and ethnicity correctly, because my appearance is ambiguous and my last name is misleading.

In my day to day life, I probably reap some of the advantages and disadvantages of my apparent race. The way I see it, why change the circumstances in the application process by giving them the "real" information?

If someone is going to want to judge me on my racial and ethnic background, I want them limited to the tools that everyone else has. It should be unclear enough that they will be forced to consider me on the basis of my abilities and accomplishments.

 

[Celestron2000]

I'm a WASP and knew it couldn't help, so I left it blank. Admitting you're white or leaving it blank probably puts you in pretty much the same boat regardless.