DEI Programs in Medical Schools: Beneficial for Both Patients and Doctors
Experts and studies found multiple benefits of DEI in medical fields, proving Elon Musk wrong.
On Mar. 18, Don Lemon interviewed Elon Musk. The billionaire Musk stated that DEI programs in the medical field were putting people in danger. While Lemon asserted no evidence supporting the claim, Musk called out Duke University and its DEI efforts in its medical school. Musk said, “I believe they are literally lowering the standards at Duke University...that’s what the article (Ben Shapiro’s thread) suggested, yes.”
Evidence and multiple studies prove that Musk is wrong. DEI programs in medical schools do not lower entrance standards or risk lives. Instead, DEI can leverage both doctors’ and patients’ experiences.
DEI Programs at Duke School of Medicine Are Irrelevant to Admission.
Duke University School of Medicine has five main initiatives to support DEI, none of which are relevant to admission. Targets of these initiatives include students, faculty, residents, trainees, fellows, and the school community. All of them belong to Duke School of Medicine, which means they have to meet the standards and be admitted into the school to be able to participate. Including the response of Duke Health, no existing evidence suggests that Duke lowers its admission criteria to serve DEI. With a 2% admission rate, Duke University is using the most rigorous standards to select future physicians for our society.
2. Patients are more satisfied with physicians of the same race/ethnicity.
A study found that patients are 5.5% more likely to recommend a physician if they are race/ethnic-concordant. A recommendation is a significant indicator of satisfaction. For patients whose first language is not English, a doctor who speaks their mother tongue can understand them accurately and assist them better throughout treatment. In this case, a doctor may diagnose a lethal disease simply because they can communicate in a different language.
3. Students trained at diverse schools are more comfortable treating patients with various backgrounds.
Paul B. Rothman, M.D., confirmed in his article that students were more comfortable treating diverse patients if their schools were diverse. The visits would also last 2.2 minutes longer on average. Treating patients with different backgrounds is inevitable. Therefore, adopting this variety in education and training is necessary. In an inclusive environment, medical students can expand their views and prepare themselves for a multicultural society through observations, discussions, and mutual learning. These experiences will improve their proficiency.
DEI never means a lower bar. It sheds light on neglected merits and underestimated potential. Embracing DEI means reflecting and satisfying the diverse backgrounds and needs of individuals and society rather than sacrificing proficiency.
