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Introduction
What comes to your mind when you hear the word racism? It is often associated with racial minorities being oppressed on the streets by police workers or in the media by politics. However, racial inequality is one of the most critical issues in the world today and it has influence in various spheres of human life from education to healthcare. Racism persists in the unequal treatment of patients, employment of medical workers, and even healthcare education. There are different ways of combatting racial and ethnic inequality, one of which is educating young minds about the issue hence eliminating the roots of the problem. Since education largely influences the healthcare system, ensuring racial equality in healthcare can only be ensured by promoting it in educational facilities.
Correlation between racism in education and healthcare
Racism in medical education
Medical education has been a white privilege for a long time and it should be changed. Research conducted by Machado, Ribeiro, and de Carvalho Filho supports this argument by explaining how medical education is associated with wealth. The major factor to which the admission committee pays attention when accepting new candidates is what the researchers call “factual education” (Machado, Ribeiro & de Carvalho Filho, 2022, p. 3). The fact is that tests and examinations that are presented to the admissions committee are a result of expensive secondary education and additional education obtained in academies and after-school study groups. Such activities are often not affordable for the underserved groups of society which in turn usually overlap with the group of racial minorities.
Although some might argue that the correlation between the poor and African American social groups does not mean causation, the data shows that the majority of the racial minorities live poorer than white men. In addition, it is known that African Americans have been refused primary economic rights such as saving money and owning private property for centuries. Hence, they would not be able to pass into wealthy parts of the population soon. Since racial minorities do not have access to expensive secondary education, they consequently get rejected from medical schools and the healthcare system stays the same for years. To abolish this stagnation, it is essential to promote racial equality more actively in schools and universities.
Education’s impact on healthcare
Another significant influence of education on health can be seen in the number of patients and average life expectancy. According to the data provided by the Center on Society and Health, life expectancy has decreased for people without high school education since the 90s (“Education: It matters more to health than ever before”). In addition, the number of patients with fewer years of education became bigger than that of those with many years of study. The amount of perceived education also affects the health of people, which is an important social problem that requires addressing. If you ask how this is related to racial inequality in healthcare, the answer is simple – people from racial minorities often have fewer years of education and a challenge of enrolling in higher education facilities. Therefore, often patients whose life expectancy decreases and who need more treatment are people from racial minorities.
Actions for promoting equality in education
Universities and diversity
It is important to make education diverse more than ever and it can only be achieved through actions. The causes of the problem have been defined above, and the next step is discussing the actions. According to Donini-Lenhoff and Brotherton’s research, although for-profit universities have greater attrition rates than other types of institutions, both federal institutions and for-profit institutions have higher rates of student racial/ethnic diversity, and both have gotten more diverse over time (Donini-Lenhoff & Brotherton, 2010). The greater attrition rate at for-profit universities compared to other types of institutions needs sustained attention and more research since minority students are more likely to attend these institutions. At the same time, all institutions must allocate funds to boosting diversity and guaranteeing improved graduation rates for students of color.
Role of teachers
Another solution includes teachers, who according to Lynch play a major role in establishing healthy equality in the educational facility. He says that today’s educators need to recognize that one of their responsibilities as instructors is to speak out for all of the pupils in the school, not just those in their class (Lynch, 2021). Many grassroots advocacy groups and alliances are founded by teachers. The role of a teacher in advocacy is crucial. When instructors speak up for a student, they show kids that they care about their welfare and strengthen the relationship between teacher and student.
Role of the researchers
Researchers can also contribute to solving the problem since they are an impeccable part of the education system. According to Horsley and Millers’ commentary on racism and bias in education, numerous education academics have long struggled with the concept of race and the problems that racism poses in educational settings (Karani et al., 2017). The study of race and racism in HPE is still understudied, despite the fact that this work has sparked the creation of alternate epistemologies50 and techniques. Problematically, many of us find the idea of participating in such a study to be intimidating. Researching racial and racist experiences is an emotionally and politically fraught task that requires scholars to uncover, characterize, and confront conflicts that are ingrained in society. We must critically consider our own identities and racial positionality as part of this process.
Conclusion
To sum up, I would like to call your attention to one thing – can you remember at least one good friend of yours, who is also a person of color? If you do, you might have heard from this friend what types of struggles and challenges he or she goes through every day in healthcare. Promoting equality in education will make all of our lives easier, and better. Therefore, we should all be involved in taking action to ensure racial equality. Let us all take part in promoting equality in education to ensure equality in healthcare!
References
Education: It matters more to health than ever before. Center on Society and Health. (2015). Web.
Machado, M.B., Ribeiro, D.L. & de Carvalho Filho, M.A. (2022) Social justice in medical education: inclusion is not enough—it’s just the first step. Perspect Med Educ 11(0), pp. 187–195. Web.
Karani, R., Varpio, L., May, W., Horsley, T., Chenault, J., Miller, K. H., & O’Brien, B. (2017). Commentary. Academic Medicine, 92(11). Web.
Lynch, M. (2021). How to Help Low-Income Students Succeed. The Edvocate. Web.
Donini-Lenhoff, F.G., & Brotherton, S. E. (2010) Racial-ethnic diversity in allied health: the continuing challenge. J Allied Health, 39(2), pp. 104-9. Web.
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