Minorities underrepresented in California doctor work force (American Medical News)
California’s population is much more racially and ethnically diverse than its physicians, according to a report by the Center for California Health Workforce Studies. That’s a concern, the study stated, because minority physicians play a key role in the minority community’s access to care.
The report found that Hispanics made up 32% of the state’s general population but only 5% of its practicing physicians. Blacks accounted for 7% of the population and 3% of physicians. Native Americans were 1% of the population and 0.6% of physicians.
As a group, Asian and Pacific Islanders were not underrepresented, making up 11% of the general population and 26% of physicians. However, there were shortages in Asian subgroups such as the Hmong, Samoans and Cambodians.
