Ethnicity and academic performance in the UK
BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d709 (Published 08 March 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d709
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The relationship between educational or career progression in
medicine and ethnic background of practitioners would be quite a complex
one with many cofounding factors. Some of these factors have been
highlighted in the editorial by Aneez Esmail.
I however suspect that readily available data with our royal colleges
would go along way to throwing much needed light in this very confusing
and complex issue.
For instance, the Royal colleges keep a record of all candidates who
passed their fellowship or membership examinations, one of the
prerequisites for career progression to the specialist registrar (SpR)
grade in the old dispensation. Some of the colleges actually publish the
names of the candidates and where their primary medical qualifications
were obtained in their official journals.
It would be helpful to know the percentages of candidates and their
ethnic background who passed these examinations (very selective and
competitive examinations) and the comparative percentages that actually
went on to become Consultants or full fledged general practitioners.
It is my humble opinion that these simple and readily available data
in the archives of the royal colleges would shed much needed light in this
very much misunderstood issue of medical career progression and ethnicity.
Competing interests: No competing interests
"White", "ethnicity"
These terms are meaningless, even if they are embraced by
politicians. What is "white"? What is "ethnicity"?
When I am ill, I want to be treated by a decent doctor - whether pink
or green, with straight hair or curly. It matters not.
I appreciate that there are funds available for research in pseudo-
science which uses such terms. Destroy the computer software engaged in
collecting, analysing and publishing the product of the useless statistics
- or d****d lies. Use your research fellows to better purpose (looking
after patients).
Please, learned journals (BMJ included) - could you stop publishing
papers devoted to this non-sense?
Thank you
JK Anand
Competing interests: Dislike of meaningless terms