Ron: It really is about exposure to the professions and opportunity for minorities who have limited avenues based on circumstances. That simple. Nothing more or less. If it wasn't for the show Dirty Jobs, who would have thought that there were so many dirty jobs??? :-)
I don't think David is going after equal representation. Actually, here in the Philadelphia area, the population of minorities in the therapy schools is equal to the general population. In my experiences with the OT programs in the city, they are more interested in increasing enrollment with qualified candidates versus considering the race of the students. Unqualified candidates can ruin your program stats and bring down the prestige of the department. In a field where therapy is consistently on the hot jobs list in HR departments, I don't think race matters when trying to fill any vacancy because there aren't enough therapists to go around anyway. Ron, in my humble experiences, I have not seen race play a role in the field of OT when filling slots into a program or hiring for an OT position. Now, on the other hand, I have seen gender play a pivotal role in the selection process. Arley -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Carson Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 7:09 AM To: LEHMAN, DAVID Subject: Re: [OTlist] Why??? David, There seems to be an assumption that there should be equal representation of blacks, whites browns. Personally, I don't subscribe to that. However, what I want is equal representation of males! <smile> The reason why there aren't more black OT's is because there are less black OT applicants. Why are there fewer black applicants? I don't know, maybe for the same reason there are few male OT applicants; OT just doesn't appeal to them. In my opinion, if you take an equally qualified black applicant compared with an equally qualified white applicant, the black applicant is more likely to be accepted; if for no other reason, simply because they are black. IF this happens, and the other student is rejected because of their race, hasn't the black applicant received preferential treatment based on skin color and isn't that illegal? Ron ----- Original Message ----- From: LEHMAN, DAVID <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] Why??? LD> OK...my question: LD> Why is it that there is still a large lack of representation of African Americans in the LD> Allied health professions relative to the representation in the general population? It does LD> not seem to be as great an issue with other ethnicities such as Asian or Phillipino. It may be LD> an issue with hispanic. LD> I am trying to put together a forum on this topic in the PT world and I wrote an email to the LD> department heads of many HBCUs as well as the President of APTA and the minority affairs LD> department. I got ONE response, from a caucasian faculty member at a HBCU. LD> Even with a minority affairs department in the professional LD> organizations (i.e. APTA) and all LD> types of initiatives to help minorities be in Allied Health, the problem exists but you don't LD> see discussion about it anymore. LD> Is it taboo? LD> What are the reasons why, for example, school, socioeconomic, cultural, etc??? LD> How do we overcome this. Scholarships will not take care of the problem alone and that is all LD> I see the APTA minority affairs department doing. LD> David A. Lehman, PhD, PT LD> Associate Professor LD> Tennessee State University LD> Department of Physical Therapy LD> 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd. LD> Nashville, TN 37209 LD> 615-963-5946 LD> [EMAIL PROTECTED] LD> Visit my website: http://www.tnstate.edu/interior.asp?mid=2410&ptid=1 LD> This email and any files transmitted with it may contain confidential information and is LD> intended solely for use by the individual to whom it is addressed. If you receive this LD> correspondence in error, please notify the sender and delete the email from your system. Do not LD> disclose its contents with others. LD> ________________________________________ LD> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Joan Riches LD> [EMAIL PROTECTED] LD> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 12:22 AM LD> To: [email protected] LD> Subject: Re: [OTlist] Why??? LD> Ron LD> I was interested in Heather's reply from the digest that 3-5 passionate LD> people keep a list going. I guess in terms of OT Now that's one passionate LD> person and a few faithful reactors. LD> I have the same difficulty with the Allen Cognitive Network Bulletin Board. LD> Most of the posts are from me. LD> Your number 4 comes close but I think it is more than that. Too much email LD> period. Every time I sit down to do some work on the computer I spend so LD> much time responding/reacting that I sometimes never get going on what I LD> intended to do. LD> I'm president of the Allen Cognitive Network this year. Some of the people I LD> depend upon simply don't read their email or all of it for days at a time. LD> It's the only way they can get anything else done. LD> When I first got connected to the Internet it was not like this. I was on an LD> OT listserve from Dalhousie and we became a real community. LD> I think lots of people read but depend on others for the content. LD> Incidentally - Advance Registration is now open for the Allen Cognitive LD> Symposium in November in Boston www.Allen-cognitive-network.org LD> Blessings, Joan LD> -----Original Message----- LD> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf LD> Of Ron Carson LD> Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 7:39 AM LD> To: OTlist LD> Subject: [OTlist] Why??? LD> Why does the list "die"? LD> Is it because: LD> 1. You don't think about it? LD> 2. Not enough time to write? LD> 3. Not enough interest to write? LD> 4. Too many other resources? LD> 5. Not any benefit to writing? LD> Thanks, LD> Ron LD> -- LD> Options? LD> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com LD> Archive? LD> www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] LD> -- LD> Options? LD> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com LD> Archive? LD> www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, and delete the original message. -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
