Estimates and Projections of Black and Hispanic Personnel in Selected Health Professions, 1980-2000.

Federal efforts to establish financial support for health professions education in the 1960s and 1970s have led to an increase in the enrollment of minorities and women in health professions schools. The increase in the number of minority students graduating from these schools during the past decade has resulted in more minority practitioners among the total supply of active health care providers. However, statistical data on the numbers, distribution, and characteristics of minority health care providers, through which to measure accurately such changes or identify problems and progress, have not been available. This report provides estimates of minority enrollments in health professional schools and of 1980 levels of the supply of Black practitioners in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, and Hispanic practitioners in pharmacy. In addition, it provides an assessment of what the supply picture may be for these practitioners in the year 2000. These estimates were derived from the Bureau of Health Professions general forecasting data. The report also presents data on: (1) proportional representation of Black and Hispanic practitioners among the total supply of practitioners in the profession; and (2) ratios depicting the relationship between the supply of Black and Hispanic practitioners and the total population in these racial/ethnic groups. (AOS)