Is there a system more perfectly designed to select for wealth than the way we train new doctors? nyti.ms/34j7UKS
The SAT & ACT cost ~$50. About 20% of students use a fee waiver.
The MCAT costs $315. 7% of test takers use a fee waiver.
So many low- and middle-income students are being removed from the pool of potential doctors before they even take the MCAT.
The MCAT costs $315. 7% of test takers use a fee waiver.
So many low- and middle-income students are being removed from the pool of potential doctors before they even take the MCAT.
In 2017, more first year med school students came from the top 5% of parental income than from the bottom 60%. 
Almost as many first-year medical students came from the top 5% of parental income as came from the 80th-95th percentile.
The numbers aren't great when it comes to racial and ethnic diversity, either. In 2018, 83% of first year medical students were White of Asian-American.
Diversity in medicine isn't "just" a matter of fairness and justice. It's a *health* issue, as there is good evidence showing that bias directly harms the medical outcomes of underrepresented minorities. I'd bet the same is true for low-income patients. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
