Taylor R E, Hunt J C, Temple P B
University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163.
Acad Med. 1990 May;65(5):279-88. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199005000-00001.
Beginning in the mid-1960s, the enrollment of African-Americans in the nation's colleges of medicine began to rise dramatically, but by 1975 it had leveled off, and it has since remained essentially unchanged at 6 to 7%. The University of Tennessee College of Medicine failed to increase its enrollment of black students during the period of dramatic growth, and it consistently ranked among the bottom one-fourth of U.S. medical schools in this respect until the fall of 1988. With the enrollment of 17 first-time, first-year African-American students for both the 1988-89 and 1989-90 academic years, the college now ranks in the top one-fourth of the nation's medical schools in this regard. This essay chronicles the events, discoveries made through self-analysis, new programs, changes in operating procedure, and institutional commitment that led eventually to this improvement. Based on a decade of experience, the authors recommend that UT Memphis and all other U.S. colleges of medicine become directly, but appropriately, involved in students' education far earlier than traditionally considered to be within their domain. If lasting and effective alliances can be established with institutions of primary, secondary, and undergraduate college education, it should be possible to escape from the persistent and perplexing problem of stagnation in the growth of black enrollment.
从20世纪60年代中期开始，美国医学院校中非洲裔美国人的入学人数开始急剧上升，但到1975年趋于平稳，此后一直基本保持在6%至7%不变。田纳西大学医学院在入学人数急剧增长期间未能增加黑人学生的入学人数，在这方面一直位列美国医学院校排名倒数四分之一，直到1988年秋季。在1988 - 1989学年和1989 - 1990学年招收了17名首次入学的一年级非洲裔美国学生后，该校目前在这方面位列美国医学院校排名前四分之一。本文记录了最终促成这一进步的一系列事件、通过自我分析得出的发现、新的项目、操作程序的变化以及机构的投入。基于十年的经验，作者建议田纳西大学孟菲斯分校以及美国其他所有医学院校，要比传统上认为属于其职责范围的时间更早、更适当地直接参与到学生的教育中。如果能与小学、中学和本科院校建立持久而有效的联盟，就应该有可能摆脱黑人入学人数增长停滞这一长期存在且令人困惑的问题。
