One of the drawbacks of the old affirmative action programs was the realization that any individual of a minority who completed a university degree program or was hired for a position would always be viewed as less than qualified; in effect, there was a fear that those individuals only attained that degree or position because they were the beneficiary of affirmative action. It did not matter if they received top grades, they were the beneficiary of “that’ program. It did not matter if they were a good lawyer or doctor, they only got their position because of “that” program. I personally know of individuals who had to face that type of behind the back comments and it took years of solid, proven achievements before those comments finally died. Affirmative action was a program that created a mindset of suspicion; if your new doctor is a minority, are they competent or did they just get by thanks to affirmative action?
Once again, we find official programs being enforced that will again cause each of us to worry about the competency of our doctors, dentists, etc. In the article linked below, there is a war on excellence based on the religion of “wokeness.” The Association of American Medical Colleges, representing over 170 US and Canadian medical schools has developed and implemented new requirements based on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This means that if you go to a hospital for a broken arm, the attending physician will consider your race, privilege, gender, and so on. Have you suffered in the past from racism or lack of equity in health care? You may be asked about your experience in “food security” and housing. In short, “First, do no harm” (not from Hippocrates but from Of the Epidemics) will be replaced by (in part):
“I will be an ally of those of low socioeconomic status, the BIPOC community, the LGBTQIA+ community, womxn/women, differently abled individuals, and other underserved groups in order to dismantle the systemic racism and prejudice that medical professionals and society have perpetuated.” (Source: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Class of 2024 Oath). This is part of the new Hippocratic oath as written by the students and professors of the University.
How will that portion of the oath be applied? How will two equally injured individuals of the same race but of different socio-economic levels be serviced? Will each have to complete a check list to see which has less “equity”? What if all things between injured parties are “equal” except one is BIPOC and one is LGBTQIA+? Do white heterosexual males even need to ask for medical attention?
We are living in complex times, made more complex by a movement which seeks to slice, dice, label, and categorize individuals on a mythical sliding scale of worth. If you are looking for a new doctor, you had better do some serious interviewing or you may find yourself on the wrong side of the ledger.
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