Why aren't there more African-American physicians? A qualitative study and exploratory inquiry of African-American students' perspectives on careers in medicine.
OBJECTIVE
African Americans comprise 13% of Americans but only 4% of U.S. physicians. The reasons for this disparity are unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify African-American high-school student perspectives on barriers to African Americans pursuing careers in medicine.


METHODS
Focus group interviews (consisting of 15 questions) were conducted of African-American high-school juniors attending a Milwaukee public high school in which 89% of students are African Americans. The two focus groups were conducted in 2006, transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory.


RESULTS
The 12 students interviewed in two focus groups had a mean age of 17 years; 41% of students' parents were high-school graduates. Major barriers to becoming a physician cited by students included financial constraints, lack of knowledge about medicine, little/no encouragement at home or in school, negative peer views on excelling academically, lack of African-American role models in the community and on TV, racism in medicine, and easier and more appealing alternatives for making money. Students stated that increasing the number of African-American physicians would enhance patient-physician communication and relationships, and more African Americans would become physicians if there were greater exposure to medicine in schools, more guidance at a younger age and more role models.


CONCLUSIONS
Financial constraints, insufficient exposure to medicine as a career, little encouragement at home and in schools, lack of role models, and negative peer pressure may contribute to racial disparities in the physician workforce for African Americans. Exposure at a young age to role models and to medicine as a profession might increase the number of African American physicians.
Rao
Vijaya
V
Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, IL, USA.
Flores
Glenn
G
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology; D010560:Personnel Selection; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States