Question about non-discrimination in meds...

[Guest flora]

In Ottawa, (or any med school for that matter), do you think there is a discrimination against minorites, specifically Asians? (The reason why I'm targeting Asians is that I'm one myself, so please don't be offended...I'm assuming that this post will apply to all races

 

In Ottawa meds, how many are asians/minorites? Do you think there is an understood, but not stated, higher standard required by non-Caucasians during the interview stage?

 

In this day and age with Canada's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as each provincial's Human Rights Code, one would think that this question shouldnt even be asked....but after working in a hospital last week, things have changed for me.

 

For one, many of the asian nurses (Filipino, Cantonses, Vietnames) have commended me on my dream to persue meds, but they have warned about the hurdles because "I'm not white". At first I though this was a joke, because I see many asian doctors, as well other minorites too....However, when one looks at the nurses, things are vastly different. it SEEMS that whites have become a minority themselves, with the "minorities" becoming the "majority"...anyone follow?

 

Sorry if my post offends anyone, but I'm really trying hard not to...its almost impossible to start a thread regarding races without anyone flaming (hmm...is that the right word *smirk*) me!

 

Flora

[Guest JSS02]

Are there some adcom members that discriminate against people of certain races? Probably, but I think that overall they are quite small in number. I am Asian myself, and at no point during any of my interviews did I ever feel I was treated unfairly, scrutinized more closely, put in an uncomfortable situation, or anything of the sort. Nearly all of my interviewers were white.

 

Stats on this sort of thing aren't kept, but I can assure you that there are a lot of non-white students at Western, U of T, Queen's, and Ottawa. I haven't been to Mac so I can't say, but it's probably the same there as well. Queen's has class composites on their student websites here ... so you can go and take a look for yourself.

 

At the risk of sounding naive, I doubt that your "higher standard" idea is generally true. As long as you are fluent in English, and can confidently (don't appear shy or cocky) present your achievements, motivations for medicine, an understanding of what you'll be getting into, etc. then you should be fine.

[Guest Sil]

Actually I seem to have read a thread on the general pre-med forum about minorities. In most medical schools in Canada certain minorities are over-represented (ie East Asian and Asian) while others are under-represented (blacks, natives). I am a minority myself so I hope nobody gets upset about my post. I will be attending U of O meds this fall (and I do not think my background hurt me even if I still have an accent when I speak). I have also been in the nursing program for the past 3 years and have shared the same building with the medical students. From what I have observed the medical class is very diverse, I was given advice by many medical students with regard to my application/interview and the people that helped where all from a different ethnic, religious and rural/urban backgrounds. I do not believe that there is going to be a bias against you for being from a particular ethnic group and I know of at least two Asian guys accepted for the fall, one of them James Wong. If I where you I would not worry

 

With regards to your observations of hospitals I think that my observations are somewhat different. I can tell you that I see a lot of doctors/medical students who are minorities (Well that is in Ottawa where I have done my clinical rotations for nursing, so I can't comment on other cities). However, in my nursing class most people where white and I think most of them where very nice so I do not see this as a problem.

 

But yes, getting back to the original question I don't think being a minority will hurt you, one of the med students interviewing me was a minority himself. I also don't think that you have to be an over achiever and be 20 times better than the usual Caucasian applicant to be able to succeed as a minority. I know that my academic career has in many occasions fallen far from perfection... So good luck and don't let being a minority deter you from applying.

[Guest dantheman]

i interviewed at one school this past year, (I'm white)and I got interviewed by an asian faculty member and an asian med student. I find it hard to see how there was no discrimination there....