Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

When your institution has a less than 1% hiring rate for Black residents

Karen Tran-Harding, MD
Education
December 4, 2020
25 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

The other day I was in the main hallway outside of our radiology reading rooms, which is lined with picture frames of all the residency senior classes dating back to the 1980s. I’m new to the institution, so it was nice to see all the prior residents. I found myself wondering what they were up to now after graduating and what fellowship or jobs they landed into. As I kept going back in time, something became glaringly alarming. I kept going back, the year before, 3 years before, 9 years before, 15 years before.

Where were all the Black residents?

I walked further down the hall back to 30 years and was able to find one Black resident in 2012. One. In thirty years. That meant out of 174 residents, we had a hiring rate of only 0.6% for Black residents.

I then went back to my reading station and went down a rabbit hole to find any Black or African American residents in any current program at our institution. I managed to find a handful across 10 different residencies at my major academic center before my studies list became too abysmal to ignore. Of course, just like the radiology residency photos, I could only quickly judge based on photos alone and that there were probably more Black residents or ones that may have been mixed race. But it was blatantly obvious that Black residents were rather few and far between compared to our residents’ other ethnic makeup.

Later that day, I brought it up to my husband, a hospitalist working at the same hospital. He was also appalled when he recently realized the same thing. Of the close to 80 residents in internal medicine, they also had very few Black residents.

What made it disconcerting for me was that where I did 10 years of my medical training had more Black residents and attendings on staff, including in leadership roles. And although I’m sure there are more, in my short time at my new job I have only met one Black attending because he kindly reached out to help me with a project. The demographics of Black residents in my current home state is 6% while it is 8% where I trained – not enough of a difference to explain the discrepancy.

And unfortunately, the demographics of our institution are considerably worse than the nationwide statistics. Currently, Black or African American students make up 7.5% of U.S. medical schools’ demographics, 5% of physicians actively in practice, and 12.7% of the U.S. demographics.

As soon as I realized we had so few Black residents, I began to ask around to find out if there were reasons why. One person brought up the fact that we happen to be the smaller institution between 3 other larger universities within an hour away and even bigger world-class institutions just 6 hours away. So, there is always a chance that Black residents may be choosing to go to more urban and populous cities for more job opportunities and networking. Another attending explained that the county we are in is in the top ten most populous counties in all of the United States, but Black or African Americans make up only 1.7% of the demographics. There are some odds that black applicants may not have family close enough for support and choose to go elsewhere. But despite these potential reasons, even though our county’s demographic makeup is admittedly small, it’s still better than our institution’s hiring rate.

But after speaking to many different colleagues, I was relieved to find out that everyone at my hospital found our lack of Black representation across our residencies and faculty disappointing.  And I was glad that it’s an issue that my institution has completely acknowledged and has been actively trying to improve.

My husband and I are now involved in recruiting residents and fellows into our respective programs and are dedicated to inclusion. My radiology colleagues and I have done virtual meet and greets with over 150 medical students across the nation to provide guidance and promote our program’s commitment to diversity. I personally know the radiology residency program director is genuinely dedicated to improving diversity. If we all support and encourage young Black and African American physicians, we will continue to confront and actively solve this problem.

I’m also very proud to say that our university has recently launched “The Black Thriving Initiative” to address systemic anti-Blackness as an existential threat, promote Black student success, and hire Black candidates in all areas of the university, including the medical center. There’s even a place to take a pledge to help shape the future of all undergraduate/graduate students, medical student, residents, fellows, faculty and staff, and alumni. Hopefully, this will also lead to the hiring of more Black attending physicians because it is essential for young doctors to have role models and mentors that they can relate to and share similar life experiences with.

Although the lack of Black residents at our institution is pretty dismal, the number of women and minorities at our hospital is better. So, I believe that we, just like many other hospitals across the U.S., can promote diversity and hire many more Black and African American physicians at our institutions.

I sincerely hope that the hallway of radiology fame at my institution will include even more diversity in the next few years. And that I’ll be able to look up at much more smiling, graduated Black senior residents and wonder what many great things my colleague is now up to.

Karen Tran-Harding is a radiologist who blogs at How the Other Side Thinks.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Physicians who work themselves into the ground have nothing to be proud of

December 4, 2020 Kevin 1
…
Next

Without trust, we face an uphill battle in defeating COVID-19

December 4, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy, Radiology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Physicians who work themselves into the ground have nothing to be proud of
Next Post >
Without trust, we face an uphill battle in defeating COVID-19

More by Karen Tran-Harding, MD

  • A heartfelt thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers

    Karen Tran-Harding, MD
  • To Dr. Biden from an MD: Please keep using your deserved title

    Karen Tran-Harding, MD
  • Do police officers get jaded over time, just like a lot of physicians do?

    Karen Tran-Harding, MD

Related Posts

  • The trap of Black excellence in medical education

    Helio Neves da Silva
  • Teaching residents to teach will improve medical education

    Kristin Puhl, MD
  • The black physician’s burden

    Naomi Tweyo Nkinsi
  • The Black feminist revolution medicine needs

    Micaela Stevenson
  • We need more black cops. We need more black physicians.

    Farhan S. Imran, MD
  • To graduating residents: You have already exceeded our expectations

    Christina Shenvi, MD, PhD

More in Education

  • The secret to success in medical school: self-awareness and courage

    Kaelor Gordon
  • Is mandating pre-medical training widening disparities in the U.S. physician workforce?

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • Equalizing the future of medical residencies: standardizing work hours and wages

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • From studying to baby kicks: Navigating motherhood in medical school

    Natalie Eichner-Seitz
  • The power of advocacy: a medical student’s journey to helping an uninsured immigrant

    Fabiola Plaza
  • From AI to love: the key to a better future in medical education

    Stevan Walkowski, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician
    • From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • Unlearning our habits: a journey from intelligence to wisdom

      Brian Sayers, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Unlearning our habits: a journey from intelligence to wisdom

      Brian Sayers, MD | Physician
    • Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

      Asha Padmanabhan, MD | Physician
    • The future of education: AI empowerment, YouTube college credits, and the impact on traditional colleges

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The beauty of a patient’s gratitude

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Moderna's Steep COVID Vaccine Price: Corporate Greed or Capitalism?
  • House Republican Argues Against FDA Budget Increase
  • Prescriptions for Stimulants Jumped During the Pandemic
  • Federal Judge Strikes Down ACA's Preventive Care Coverage Requirements
  • Pandemic Jump in ED Visits for Firearm Injuries Continued Into 2022

Meeting Coverage

  • VTE Risk in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Increases With More Lines of Chemotherapy
  • Obesity's Impact on Uterine Cancer Risk Greater in Younger Age Groups
  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician
    • From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • Unlearning our habits: a journey from intelligence to wisdom

      Brian Sayers, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Unlearning our habits: a journey from intelligence to wisdom

      Brian Sayers, MD | Physician
    • Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

      Asha Padmanabhan, MD | Physician
    • The future of education: AI empowerment, YouTube college credits, and the impact on traditional colleges

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The beauty of a patient’s gratitude

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...