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Low minority recruitment spurs innovation

by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
With fewer minorities applying to medical schools, MUSC and other medical institutions are having to be far more innovative in their recruiting efforts to attract the state's most promising students.

According to MUSC's Office of Diversity, success begins early in an individual's academic career. At MUSC, the College of Medicine and the Office of Diversity have teamed up to devise strategies linking them with high school and college educators to identify and encourage talented students by setting them on a path for academic success. 

In South Carolina, African Americans make up about 30 percent of the state's total population. Of the Palmetto state's 7,900 physicians, roughly 2 percent are black.

“There have always been interest in producing physicians of the same racial background that reflect the people whom they serve,” said Thaddeus J. Bell, M.D., assistant dean for minority students and director of the Office of Diversity. “Each year, we look at our best options for accomplishing this.”

Each year, Bell and his diversity staff travel around the state to meet and recruit candidates who are interested in a career in medicine. Staff members talk to science-related groups, classes and individuals on both high school and college levels about MUSC's medicine program. 

Previously, the staff sponsored summer programs and workshops to support statewide faculty and other school personnel to help refer potential candidates. This method of minority recruitment has also been successful in even attracting former minority residents who have completed undergraduate work at Spelman, Morehouse College and other historically-related black colleges and universities to return to South Carolina to obtain advanced degrees at MUSC, Bell said. 

Bell works with the COM Admissions Committee and other faculty, staff and current medical students on behalf of the Student Government Association (SGA). Participants perform various duties which allows candidates to talk with student and provide valuable follow-up support and communication throughout the selection process.

A 1976 MUSC alumnus and Lowcountry family practitioner, Bell was among the first wave of African American physicians to graduate. A decade later, Bell has noted some significant changes regarding minority issues which has also been reflective to an increase in minority recruiting. Until recently, the trend has dropped steadily as fewer African American males are applying to MUSC's medical school. In 1998, 28 African American males were in-state applicants.

A year later, that number decreased to 19 applicants. By fall 2000, the number dropped again to 17 applicants.

And what is the cause of this decrease?

According to Bell, national statistics show that black males are more traditionally involved with crime or some type of contact with the law. Other reasons include disinterest or the choice of other career fields involving less effort but equally rewarding, financially, is dominant.

But in reality, good data indicates that black males drop out of science-related courses as early as the sixth and tenth grades due to lack of guidance and exposure to other educational courses. Other reasons have indicated that lack of black male role models in education and other community professionals may be part of the blame.

“It's really a pipeline problem,” said Bell. “Young kids who are at risk for dropping out of school affect the overall picture for those students who are doing well and want to succeed.”

“Most doctors admit they were first attracted to the profession to do good and help others in a professional manner,” Bell said. “Unfortunately, this attitude has changed over the years.

Today, the profession is attracting physicians who are monetarily-driven. They feel out of the loop anyway when it comes to decisions and the needs of patients because of today's managed care. For this reason, it has driven away talented people.”

Yet Bell believes a fair majority of the public still holds the field of medicine with high esteem compared to other professions. This is certainly evident during this era where more applicants have applied to medical school than during any other part of history.

“Our problem today is to continue producing other minority physicians to help reflect the state's changing demographics,” said Bell, referring to a growing Hispanic population. “We'll also continue to focus on finding ways to replace our aging and retiring African American physicians.”

The Office of Diversity offers a variety of services and programs to help with minority recruitment. For high school students, the Health Science Apprenticeship Program recruits statewide minority students who are interested in pursuing a career in bio-medical science and other medical careers. Students attend an intense six-week curriculum which develops their understanding of research and technical skills. 

The South Carolina Historically Black Colleges and Universities Summer Institute was created in 1999 to help promote minority studies in the health professions. The program recruits 12 students two students from six South Carolina minority institutions—Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College, South Carolina State University and Voorhees College—matriculating into advanced degrees in medical-related careers.

Participants commit for a three-year/eight-week summer program experience. Participants must also follow a structured academic program at MUSC and the College of Charleston.

“The challenge is to keep ourselves focused on this issue to recognize that it will be years of developing these pipelines before we achieve our goals,” said Rosalie Crouch, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs and provost. 

“I think we've turned a  corner regarding diversity issues on campus,” Bell said. “But there's more things to do. We've got to keep talking to students and continue to spread the word that we've got a world-class university and a good cost-effective program.”