Utoo Radio - May 3, 2024 - A new article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) is advocating for more Indigenous students to be enrolled in Canada's medical schools.

The authors, Nicholas Brisebois and Nicole Cardinal, represent the Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta in Edmonton; Postgraduate Medical Education & Indigenous Health Initiatives Program (Cardinal), University of Alberta. They argue that Indigenous students from reserves, rural and Northern communities continue to be under-represented in Canadian medical schools, contributing to ongoing health inequities.

Factors contributing to this situation include socioeconomic disadvantage, geographic barriers to pursuing prerequisite post-secondary education, and limited opportunities to gain early exposure to healthcare careers.

Under-resourced high schools in remote areas and a lack of career guidance are "substantial barriers" for students pursuing a career in medicine.

A 10-year study conducted at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine showed that Indigenous applicants from a rural background were 50% less likely to be offered an interview and 30% less likely to be offered admission than their urban counterparts.

Indigenous educators have advocated for a specific minimum number of Indigenous medical school applications to be approved with spaces set aside for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit candidates in each admissions cycle.