Minority respondents had similar discrepancies and frequently cited concerns about pursuing a career in which there are very few professionals who look like them, which can make organically connecting with their peers difficult.  

Regarding this topic, one respondent wrote: 

“Why would students of color go into a profession where they aren’t going to feel welcome their entire career?” 

Minority participants also touched on the “hidden curriculum” that they are encouraged to pursue in lieu of specialties. Many Black respondents shared that they had been pushed to consider primary care or other similar fields that address underserved communities and healthcare disparities “because of their background.” 

The respondents did touch on witnessing active improvement efforts but noted their slowness as an issue. Experts involved in the study urged that more needs to be done to change this: 

“Medical students expect more active efforts to improve diversity, and radiologists need to take care in how they craft their outreach efforts.” 

More insights from the survey can be found in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. 

More on diversity in radiology: 

Recruiting diverse radiology residency candidates: 5 tips from program directors

Survey results reveal what influences medical students to choose radiology as a specialty

3 ways Vanderbilt’s radiology department is laying the groundwork to address health disparities

Radiology departments are adapting to offer inclusive environments for transgender individuals

Reference: 

Lars J. Grimm, Laura J. Fish, Caroline Carrico, Jonathan G. Martin, Carolyn C. Meltzer, Charles M. Maxfield,
Hidden Curriculum and the Demographic Stoicism That Keeps Women and Minorities Away From Radiology: A Mixed-Methods Study of Medical Students,
Journal of the American College of Radiology, 2022.