Ignatius Bau has summarized the key findings from a report from the University of California San Francisco Center for California Health Workforce Studies that analyzed the data collected by the Medical Board of California, as required by Assembly Bill 1586 (2001). Physicians self-reported race, ethnicity and language proficiency; 83 percent responded to the request for the information. Of the 91,060 respondents, 61,861 had completed their residency or fellowship training and were actively providing patient care in the state of California. Ignatius highlighted these findings:
- The underrepresentation of Latinos and African Americans among California physicians remains dire.
- California has very few physicians of Samoan, Cambodian, and Hmong/Laotian ethnicity, and these ethnic groups should also be recognized as underrepresented in medicine and more actively recruited into the profession.
- Minority physicians in California play a key role in underserved communities. Minority physicians in California are much more likely than white physicians to practice in Medically Underserved Areas, Health Professions Shortage Areas, communities with high proportions of minority populations, and low income communities.
- Minority physicians in California are much more likely than white physicians to work in primary care (family medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics).
- California physicians speak many languages in addition to English.
- The California Medical Board survey represents a major step forward in the ability of the state to have reasonably accurate and completed data on key characteristics of California physicians, and is a valuable resource for physician workforce analysis and planning in the state.
Click on these links to read more.
Bilingual Proficiency Among California’s Health Care Professionals
Physician Diversity in California: New Findings from the California Medical Board Survey
Do Physicians with Self-Reported Non-English Fluency Practice in Linguistically Disadvantaged Communities?
Self-Reported Fluency in Non-English Languages Among Physicians Practicing in California
The Medical Leadership Council on Cultural Proficiency —
Meeting the Needs of California's Diverse Patient Populations
This 10-minute video about the Medical Leadership Council's work profiles individual members' perspectives and organizations' projects. Highlights include uniquely personal views on policy matters.
The Center for the Health Professions at UCSF is pleased to announce the launch of a new online resource, Advancing Health Equity (www.advancinghealthequity.org). This website, supported by funding from The California Endowment, is intended for individuals looking for information, resources, and practical tools to help improve their health care system’s ability to deliver equitable care.
