Sandy, Utah — Intermountain Healthcare is always proud of every first in healthcare it has achieved over the years, and what happened Saturday at Alta View Hospital in Sandy is a long-awaited first.
For the first time, this group black doctor in utah We held something called Medicine Immersion Day.
The idea is to get black high school seniors and college students to consider perhaps medicine as a career.
“Every single one of us here today was sparking that,” said Dr. Alice Akuniri, M.D., who helped form Black Doctors in Utah. “This is an opportunity to meet someone who is like me as a doctor. And you might have the idea, oh, I can do that too.”
Students were brought into various rooms at Alta View Hospital, including the operating room and delivery room, to talk with doctors and nurses.
A variety of workshops allowed students to see what they do for a living and to ask questions about their profession from doctors like them.
Less than 1% of Utah doctors are black. As the population diversifies, Utah’s group of black doctors says they need to increase their numbers. Today, the first Medical Immersion Day was held to get black students interested in medicine as a career. @KSL5TV at 5 o’clock. pic.twitter.com/VTymuZS21b
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) September 24, 2022
It’s no secret that the majority of Utah’s population is white.
According to a report from Association of American Medical Colleges, less than 1% of Utah practitioners are black. This is her second lowest percentage, just above Wyoming.
But with the growth Utah is experiencing, it is becoming a more diverse state.
Dr. Richard Ferguson, president of the Utah Black Medical Association, says this only means that patients are looking for more diverse doctors.
“As I keep telling everyone, Utah will continue to be charred. You want people to feel welcome and included when they come,” Dr. Ferguson said. “One of the first things a lot of people ask is if they can get the kind of doctor I had in Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Scott Roberson, administrator of Alta View Hospital, said more diverse physicians means more diverse patients are more comfortable seeking care.
“Empowering black youth to consider a career in medicine goes a long way in fulfilling our mission to help people live the healthiest lives possible,” explained Roberson.
Future doctors of color may spark from a day like this.
“It’s easy to be drawn to someone who looks like you and open up in your mind the possibility that one day I will too,” said Dr. Akunyili.
