Diversity in Medicine: Facts and Figures 2019

Figure 11 displays the percentage of 2018-2019 matriculants planning to practice in an underserved area by race/ethnicity. Most matriculants from racial/ethnic groups other than American Indian or Alaska Native and Black or African American were undecided about practicing in underserved communities. Consistent with current research, significant percentages of matriculants who identified as racial/ethnic minorities planned to practice medicine in underserved areas, including 60.5% of Black or African American matriculants, 48.8% of American Indian or Alaska Native matriculants, 41.9% of Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin matriculants, and 37.3% of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander matriculants. In contrast, only 26.6% of White matriculants and 27.2% of Asian matriculants planned to practice medicine in underserved areas.