There needs to be more representation in healthcare

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The question I used to love being asked growing up because my answer was always the same—a doctor. Now as a senior in college, getting asked what my plans are after I graduate is a bit terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, becoming a doctor is still the end goal. But there have been times that dream was starting to become a little hard to imagine.

I was reading an article by the New York Times a couple of weeks ago about the burnout rates among physicians in the country and how the numbers have significantly increased after the pandemic. As a college student when the pandemic first broke out, I definitely felt a bit burnt out and had no motivation to do work.

However, one thing that has kept me going these last two years was the lack of representation, especially in the healthcare field. Growing up, I started to realize there weren’t many doctors that looked like me. As someone who has spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals, it wasn’t until I was 18 when I met a Somali, Muslim physician.

There was almost like a huge weight lifted off my shoulder when she walked in the room. Although I never really had a bad experience with any of my physicians, it can still be a bit uncomfortable in the beginning. She was someone who spoke my mother’s language, wore the hijab and came from a similar background. She was someone who looked like me doing a job I thought was almost impossible to achieve at one point or another. This is just a small part of why representation matters in the healthcare field.

Statistics have consistently shown that there is a racial disparity especially in the health field with black and brown mothers dying at a significantly higher rate than white mothers. The harder part to learn is that these disparities are preventable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines health disparities as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.”

These disparities only increased after the pandemic. Studies done by the CDC have shown Black or African American, Non-Hispanic and other racial minority groups statistically have higher numbers of COVID cases, higher hospitalization and mortality rates. These health outcomes for marginalized groups show a strong correlation to the lack of diversity among nurses and physicians. When patients are treated by physicians that look like them and come from similar backgrounds, studies have shown better outcomes arise. Diversity in the workplace is vital for success. However, when it comes to healthcare when it comes to life or death, diversity is essential.

“Why do you want to become a doctor when you grow up?”

Although my answer to that question now is a little more complex than the typical “I want to help others” answer I gave as an elementary school student, that simple yet succinct phrase still holds true today. I want to give others that sense of comfort that doctor gave me. I want to help close that racial disparity in order to give the best and equitable form of healthcare to all forms of black and brown lives.