Hello everyone, I'm Hmong and was wondering what the running take on Hmong as a URM is.
Hi, i'm also a Hmong.
To answer ur question, yes, Hmong individuals are considered to be >>>
EXTREMELY <<< URM.
Many schools consider Hmong as URM. Some schools also consider Hmong individuals as only "asian", however, you need to EMPHASIZE the need for more Hmong physicians. Talk about the gap, mention the barriers, use the book
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down book as an example (I've also read it too, soo many good examples.. and it's 100% relatable), but with your own real life experiences. For instance, Hmong people will use some random non-FDA approved herbal asian medication delivered from China to treat their Gout because it has been known to temporarily take the pain away. No disrespect to my own people and culture, but Hmong people are honestly not the most educated people out there. WHY? Because we immigrated to U.S in the mid 70's and had to learn how to survive before getting an education. We had to adjust to a culture, and even when we are adjusted, we still sometimes don't fit in because of certain social disadvantages.. Many are still trying to survive, because we faced war. However, you and I may not, but our parents and grandparents have, and that can be detrimental to some med applicants and their upbringing as a potential future physician.
If med schools do not consider you as URM, then you need to hit them with the stats. Tell them to find you the closest Hmong physician, even if you live in a Hmong-populated area. They will start sweating when they realize there is no stats because there are literally not enough Hmong physicians to even make stats. Hmong people matter, and as pre-meds and future physicians, we need to cater our applications by addressing the lack of healthcare providers and resources for our community. Yes, there are other non-Hmong physicians and docs out there that Hmong individuals can utilize, but how do you address the fact that there are still much language barriers and cultural differences. This will certainly be one of our biggest strengths in our applications, as Hmong applicants. If AMCAS doesn't include Hmong people on the list of URM, then that's because they've never heard of Hmong people before. <--- That is a sign of being an URM applicant, just being completely honest.
Also, there's about 260k Hmong citizens residing in U.S according to the 2010 U.S Census. I also found some online Hmong Journal that says there's at least 150-200 Hmong physicians as of 2018 or something, doesn't seem credible though tbh. So in sense, there's like 200 physicians for every 260k patients. That's about 1 Hmong physician for every 1,300 Hmong patients. Should I also mention the Hmong represented in each specialty? Yikes.
In short, there's a lot of stuff to highlight in your application. Kill that ish.
