(ThyBlackMan.com) Healthcare in the US seems to have a problem with African American people, but it is a two way problem. People in the medical profession are sometimes uncertain how to behave with black people, and patients of color would rather be seen by someone who is not white, as surveys show they trust African American doctors more.
There is only one way to solve this problem, and that is for the US to have more black doctors.
The Small Percentages
It may surprise you that only 6% of doctors in the US are black. Although the figures are a little better for nurses that have
completed an FNP degree, it is still not anywhere near half of those who take this, or other nursing courses. The medical profession as a whole has a shortage of black people working in it, which can be a problem with a range of health issues that relate to African American patients only.
The Comfort Of African American Men
Information from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that African American men are more comfortable speaking with doctors of the same color as them. The report suggested that if the US had more black doctors, the would be able to help these men more, which could contribute towards closing the life expectancy gap between white and black men that exist in the US.
White people generally trust the medical profession no matter what color they are, but this is not always the case with black people, as the trust is not as inbred in them.
Encouraging More Black Medical Students
The answer has to lie in encouraging more black students to enter the medical profession. Medicine is no different from any other trade or profession in that over the years it has suffered from racial discrimination both ways between doctors and their patients. This stopped many people working in it.
That seems to have been resolved now though and certainly does not happen in the colleges and universities that are teaching the doctors and nurses of the future, and even those already working in the profession are much more tolerant of all colors. At the end of the day, when doctors take their oath it does not say they should only treat white people, or Asians or anything like that. It says they will treat everyone to try and improve their health. The problem is that changes like this do not happen overnight, and more black medical professionals are needed in the US sooner rather than later.
Relating To Each Other
These days, the problem does not seem to be about racial prejudice. Doctors and patients are all more likely to deal with each other in a positive way. The problem seems to be that they have difficulty relating to each other, and that can create a strained relationship. If a black patient has to be given a bad diagnosis, for instance, they are more likely to accept it and ask questions of a black doctor than they will a white one.
Staff Writer; George Brown
