Following the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the consideration of an applicant’s racial or ethnic background in the higher education admissions process, our emergency medicine organizations stand together in our efforts to diversify health care professionals, including physicians, in the United States.
Additionally, we reaffirm our responsibility to addressing health care disparities and inequities as we deliver exceptional care to all patients who enter our emergency departments.
Evidence indicates race and ethnicity concordance are factors recognized by and important to patient outcomes and their access to quality health care. This is particularly important in emergency care, where patient-physician trust must be established quickly and a substantial portion of patients are from underrepresented and marginalized racial/ethnic groups.
Further, diversity in the health professions also improves the educational experiences of student resident physicians, the teaching experiences of faculty, and the overall health of our communities. Our organizations are committed to strengthening the diversity of health professionals, including physicians, and promoting staffing of hospitals and their emergency departments with individuals of diverse race and ethnicity for the health and well-being of our patients.
If the court’s decisions in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. the University North Carolina requires changes to current law and practices, we stand ready to work together and with other stakeholders to foster a diverse health professions workforce.
American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM)
AAEM-Resident and Student Association (AAEM-RSA)
American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM)
Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD)
Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA)
Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM)
SAEM-Residents and Medical Students (SAEM-RAMS)
See also the All EM DEI Vision Statement, issued on January 3, 2023.
