The Association of American Medical Colleges announced today that the number of minorities (.pdf, see page 2) entering medical school is on the rise. The Hill's Healthwatch reports:
The increase was most pronounced among Hispanics, who saw first-year enrollment jump to 1,539 in 2010 - 9 percent above 2009 levels, AAMC found. For black students, the increase was 2.9 percent (to 1,350), while Asians saw enrollment rise 2.4 percent, to 4,214.
The number of first-year white students, meanwhile, was 12,094 in 2010 - up 0.4 percent from 2009, the group said.
AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch said the numbers - which reflect a national trend toward increased diversity - are good news for patients.
"You don't improve the health of communities without having a workforce that reflects the diversity of those communities," Kirch told reporters on a phone call Wednesday.
