In the Nation's Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health-Care Workforce

In the Nation's Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health-Care Workforce. Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing the Diversity of the US Health Care Workforce, Board on Health Sciences Policy, Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC, National Academies Press, 2001, hardcover, 377 pp, $43.00. In the Nation's Compelling Interest was written by the Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing the Diversity of the US Health Care Workforce at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) at the request of the WK Kellogg Foundation to "assess institutional and policy-level strategies for achieving greater diversity among healthcare professionals." Specifically, the IOM was asked to assess potential benefits of greater representation of under-represented minorities (URMs) in health care, and to evaluate policies that may increase the diversity of health care providers. The report provides significant evidence describing barriers to access for minority students, and offers innovative solutions. Chapter One of the text is an executive summary of the report. It briefly describes the Committee's findings and provides a synopsis of the data analysis and recommendations for change. Subsequent chapters provide in-depth analysis of each finding. Chapter Two is titled "Reconceptualizing Admissions Policies and Practices." The authors document how URMs typically do not have the same academic opportunities in primary and secondary education to obtain high scores on tests such as SATs, CREs, MCATs, and others that are frequently considered when granting admissions to postsecondary or graduate programs. The authors view this as unfortunate, stating that these tests are actually a poor predictor of later academic success, and that the tests may not be the most effective measure of a student's potential for success. Alternative strategies to realistically evaluate a minority applicant's abilities are suggested. However, even when an applicant is admitted to a health professional educational institution (HPEI), his or her success is not guaranteed, supporting a reconsideration of admissions policies. Chapter Three, "Costs and Financing," evaluates fiscal barriers to postsecondary education encountered by minority students who are more likely to be poor. Unfortunately, grant and scholarship opportunities have declined in recent years at the same time that tuition and fees have significantly increased. The text analyzes potential sources of grant and scholarship opportunities, and makes recommendations to improve available funding by the private sector, HPEIs, local and state governments, and Congress. Public-private partnerships and creative collaborations across multiple entities have the potential to successfully support students through their undergraduate and graduate education. …