title: Black students in medical schools.
abstract: This paper presents an assessment and comparison of two groups of black medical students and the problems they confronted in medical school. Data were obtained from a sample of blacks who attended medical school during the years 1971 to 1974 and from black physicians who graduated from medical school in 1970 or before. A comparison of the two groups revealed statistically significant differences in the impact of others on the decision to enter medicine and in the sources of financial support; also the data suggest differences in perceived discrimination and in the time at which the individual decided to become a physician. The information from the 1971-1974 group illuminates the type and intensity of problems they encountered and the importance of various programs designed to aid black medical students. Overall, the findings of this study indicate a need for new efforts to recruit and to retain black students in medical schools.
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D002321:Career Choice; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups; D011287:Prejudice; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013337:Students, Medical; D014146:Training Support; D014481:United States