Summer 2012, Volume 37, Number 3 - Association of Schools and ...

when given a choice, patients subconsciously
prefer and choose a clinician
of the same race. 3-5,9,10 Giving patients
choice often reveals unspoken sex, race
and ethnicity preferences. 3,8,12 Racial
and ethnic concordance, then, could
have positive outcomes in patient access
and retention in care. In optometry,
offering patients the opportunity
for provider and patient concordance
could reduce racial disparities in primary
eye care. However, these opportunities
are less available when the gap in
proportions of optometrists compared
with the population is large.
Post-secondary-school educational attainment
data may lead one to conclude
that the small numbers of Black
and Hispanic students in optometry
school is a result of racial and ethnic
disparities in higher education. Indeed,
Blacks and Hispanics are more likely
to attend two-year colleges than fouryear
colleges. 45, 46 Nonetheless, important
gains have been made in increasing
the proportion of Blacks and Hispanics
completing first professional degrees.
In academic year 1976-1977, 4% of
first professional degrees were awarded
to Blacks; 1.7% to Hispanics. By 2008-
2009, 7.1% were awarded to Blacks;
5.5% to Hispanics. 17,34 While these
gains are important, the gaps compared
with their proportions in the population
are still very large.
Optometry is not alone; other health
professions face similar disparities.
While some steps have been taken to
bridge race and ethnicity gaps, 47 the
optometric profession has an opportunity
to make a deep impact. Educators,
serving the beginning of the
professional pipeline, logically should
take the lead. Perhaps optometric educators
could consider establishing an
optometry program at one of the historically
Black colleges 48 or at a college
serving primarily Hispanic students. 49
Given that Blacks and Hispanics have
a greater tendency to attend two-year
institutions, perhaps a pathway could
be developed for those with a two-year
degree.
Conclusion
This paper provides a current estimate
of the race and ethnicity of optometrists
using optometry school enrollment
data. The model estimates fill a
void in federal sources of data, which
stopped in 1999. As a reference point,
the 2011 estimate of the total number
of optometrists in the United States is
consistent with the number used by the
AOA.
The race and ethnicity of optometrists,
like physicians and dentists, are disproportionately
White and Asian compared
with the U.S. population. Measuring
gaps, whether sex, race, income
or educational attainment, helps society
to decide where to allocate resources. It
serves as a benchmark to chart progress
if change is desired.
The rationale for bridging these gaps can
be argued from a social justice perspective
as well as from the point of view
of improving patient access and quality
of care. That is, disparities in eye health
may be reduced and patient satisfaction
increased if Black and Hispanic
patients were offered more opportunity
to choose a racially and ethnically concordant
optometrist.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Marty Wall, CAE, Executive
Director of the Association of
Schools and Colleges of Optometry, for
providing historical data and responding
to many questions, and to Lauren
SanFilippo, Research Coordinator at
the American Optometric Association,
for responding to various inquiries.
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Optometric Education 113 Volume 37, Number 3 / Summer 2012