[artplumber]

Originally posted by fintstone
....
You are correct, they hope the doctors will practice medicine in areas where there are a lot of native americans. But it is much different than paying the costs of a person who is willing to practice in a specific area where you need them. That is just business. Diverting scarce school slots by race keeps the most qualified from ever attending med school. How would you feel is there was a program just for those who could prove themselves 100% white, ancestors crossed on the Mayflower, etc? Suppose my family had kept affiliation with a tribe. Then my relatively wealthy, blond-haired, blue eyed daughter would be getting into med school (like many others) based on reparations (of a sort) for discrimination or suffering she has never experienced.

Do you think it is more likely that you will get someone to commit to an underserved area just because they get their med schl for free vs if they are from the underserved area? And not just for the standard 5yr (or whatever it is) term that comes with the NHS program, but for life?

Maybe your proposition for your daughter to get in under NA guise, is just the reason why one must have tribal papers, vs just being hispanic, black etc. There are plenty of instances when those appellations have been abused (& documented so). One could always take the Hawaiin approach - more than 1/8 (IIRC) to get into King Kamehameha high school.

Further, there is a "floor" for all persons in med schl to pass, so that all should be competent if they graduate. And BTW, the smartest are not usually the best MD's.

AffirmAct is an imperfect soln in an imperfect world. To use a medical aphorism "amiodarone for atrial fibrillation is a dirty drug for a dirty problem."