Are First-Generation Students Underrepresented in Medicine?
Let’s break it down.
Is there a considered definition for First-Generation Students?
Breaking Barriers: The Underrepresentation of First-Generation Students in Medicine First generation students are those who come from families who are not privileged with the opportunity to or for some goes to college or who are the first ones to attend a college. It is a great achievement for them and their families in most cases all over the world. Think about such achievement when you have no networks and therefore cannot appreciate the reality that you have crossed an imaginary border. Sounds pretty tough, doesn’t it?
Now, take this thinking in terms of medicine, when there is quite high level of aspiration, long training for the qualification and the expected network of support is from the family that is familiar with the undertaking. This is where things start to get tricky for first-gen students.
The Reality of Being Underrepresented
Yes, first generation students are underrepresented in the field of medicine and there are a few factors that explain why.
Access to Resources
Those who are the first in their family to take up a medical profession more often than not do not have the equal access to resources that others do. Many students who have doctor-parents, or any interconnection with the medical field, will be well-versed on things such as which classes to take up, how to study for the MCAT, and which institutions to apply to. First Generation students, on the contrary, are expected to learn how to go about these issues alone. It’s not hard, but it is certainly harder without that support system which is predesigned.
Financial Barriers
One other thing is that medical school is costly. And by that I mean ridiculously costly. When it comes to fees more or less for the learning and the living costs incurred during those unending years of education, to say that it is a burden is an understatement. But this especially seems difficult to students who do not come from a wealthy family. It is true that there are scholarship programs and loans available to the students and especially the health care student loans, but these measures do not solve the issues completely, and the first generation students tend to adventure further trauma.
Cultural and Social Hurdles
Cultural and social hurdles should also be addressed. After finishing their course, students end up in a very demanding profession, and not many first-gen students might be that ‘comfortable’ in this environment compared to their colleagues coming from medical families – most wise people are just wise professionally. University also does not provide an escape from these thoughts completed with the absence of an example to look towards and so it is not uncommon for them to suffer from what is regarded as ‘imposter syndrome’. This can be a very significant psychological and emotional stressor.
The Push for Change
The good news? This is in part because people are recognizing this point of inequity, and there is a growing call to action to improve the playing field for the first-generation students. It is also acknowledged that the medical students are not only from different ethnic groups or women. There are students who are also poor and who belong to families that have very low educational backgrounds.
Policies have recently been established in diverse institutions aimed to assist first generation college students such as offering mentors, access to scholarships, and pre-collegiate programs. This is indeed very positive towards the effort of achieving progress in broadening the pipelines of the medicine practice.
Why It Matters
You may be asking yourself, what is the big deal here, the fact that the population of first generation students is minimal within the qualified personnel in medicine? However it is significant for some reasons.
First, it is important to note that diversity in medicine encompasses different views and this is vital to patient care. Doctors originating from various ethnicities have been challenge and able to relate more with the various patients that they come across.
Second, helping first-gen students means we are working towards making the society more fair. Many people follow their dreams and work hard to achieve them, independent of their parents having gone to school or not.
Conclusion
Yes, medicine as a field seeks to draw and engage individuals from various backgrounds, including first-generation college students. It is good that there is more awareness, better support and more opportunities in the medical field and that first-gen students are no longer just surviving, but also thriving. It may be a long road indeed, but what are the benefits at the end of the journey? A generation of physicians, diverse, sympathetic, and well-rounded with strong work ethics and determination. That is something to toast.
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