Hispanic students filling medical schools nationwide - Chicago Sun-Times: ...Acosta is part of a growing number of Hispanics who are applying to and enrolling in medical school. Since 2004, the number of Hispanic applicants to American medical schools has increased 22.9 percent, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. There was a nearly 6 percent rise between 2010 and 2011, from 3,271 to 3,459.
The numbers of Hispanic applicants are still fairly low, though, when compared to the total 2011 applicant pool of 43,919. And while the numbers of Hispanic doctors are growing, the rate still falls short of matching the explosive growth of the Hispanic community in the United States.
Recognizing the changing makeup of the U.S. population, medical schools have subtly adjusted their approach to create doctors of every background who are more sensitive to the needs of the community at large. Many schools have shifted their admissions process, focusing on the entire student rather than simply grades and MCAT scores.
