Black physicians say that the healthcare system is discriminating against them. Doctors in California and across the United States say discrimination occurs at several levels. They also claim that it hurts the level of medical care Black individuals receive.
Discrimination in medical schools
Black individuals say that they are often discriminated against in medical school, especially while doing their residency. According to the organization overseeing residency programs, about 5% of all medical residents are Black. Yet, they constitute about 20% of all people being dismissed from these programs.
Discrimination in hiring practices
Others say that once a hiring committee determines they are Black, they are not hired as doctors at some hospitals. The problem may be especially prevalent among surgeons. This may be the most prominent example of work discrimination faced by Black physicians.
Black doctors not being promoted
Other Black doctors say that once they show an interest in joining the hospital’s executive leadership team, they suddenly get poor performance reviews. They may also be placed under investigation to cast doubt on their ability to lead medical organizations forward. In some cases, the pressure has become so severe that they have chosen to leave the medical field.
Effect on Black patients
Black physicians say they are especially concerned about the impact their being forced out of their chosen profession is having on Black patients. These patients often have different medical problems than those seen in people of different ethnic backgrounds. They may also have different cultural expectations that people who are not Black may not know about.
Black physicians say they are being discriminated against in many levels of healthcare.