LOUISIANA STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY
AM 2024 DESTIN
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
RESOLUTION 402
Promoting recruitment, retention and advancing students from underrepresented backgrounds through pre-admission programs
SUBJECT:
INTRODUCED BY: Medical Student Section _________________________________________________________________________
WHEREAS , the United States is experiencing growing patient diversity and complexity in care among underserved communities, intensifying the health equity gap as evidenced by current research studies 1,2 ; and WHEREAS , according to US Census data, there is a continuous increase in the minority population, necessitating the recruitment of primary care providers, particularly from underrepresented minority (URM) groups 3 ; and WHEREAS , the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has identified tactics for strategic recruitment through several measures including pre-admission programs, as physicians of URM backgrounds has remained a stagnant 13.4%, significantly lower than the total URM population 4-8 ; and WHEREAS , barriers such as MCAT scores and GPAs disproportionately impact socioeconomically disadvantaged students by hindering their admission to medical schools, despite these metrics being poor predictors of success in medical education 6,9,10 ; and WHEREAS , successful pre-admission programs that focus on biomedical science preparation, courses on health disparities, post-baccalaureate programs, and community outreach have proven effective in recruiting and retaining URM students 11-15 ; and
WHEREAS, these pre-admission programs aim to provide essential research exposure and mentorship opportunities, enabling students to develop vital skills for future research and leadership roles 6 ; and
WHEREAS , URM students participating in these pre-admission programs are more likely to graduate on time and perform better throughout their medical education compared to those who do not participate 16 ; and
WHEREAS , with a growing need among ethnic and minority groups for more primary care providers, the urgency to train new physicians from these backgrounds is more pressing than ever; therefore be it
RESOLVED , that the Louisiana State Medical Society endorses the AAMC's initiatives for strategic recruitment of students from URM backgrounds, as their representation in the medical profession remains critically low and disproportionate to the general population; and be it further
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