"The Supreme Court ruling today weakens efforts to make higher education more accessible to members of historically underrepresented groups — and at a time when we need more health workers, especially those who share the experiences of the people they serve," said Becerra in a tweet that was deleted one hour after publication. The Washington Examiner obtained a screenshot of the Tweet.
Becerra also said that medical schools lack the number of minority students needed to adequately represent the broader population. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing estimated that in the 2020-2021 academic year, 40.8% of entering baccalaureate nursing students identified as a racial minority, along with 38.9% of nursing masters students, 35.5% of nursing research doctoral students, and 38.9% of doctors of nursing practice .
Calling for race-conscious medical training is a growing trend. In May, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article concluding segregating white, black, and other racial minority groups into different medical classes is essential for addressing systemic racism in medical practice and education.