For the first time in history, women make up the majority of enrolled medical students, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Women are now 50.5 percent of all medical students, a trend that has been building for years. Women made up the majority of first-year medical school students for the first time in 2017.
Medical schools have also made some improvement toward becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, according to AAMC. Four key stats:
- Enrolled students who are Hispanic, Latino or of Spanish origin grew 6.3 percent.
- Enrolled students who are black or African American grew 3.2 percent.
- Enrolled students who are black or African American men grew 3.7 percent.
- Enrolled students who are American Indian or Alaska Native grew 5.5 percent.
"The modest increases in enrollment among underrepresented groups are simply not enough. We cannot accept this as the status quo and must do more to educate and train a more diverse physician workforce to care for a more diverse America," AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, said in a press release.
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