Increasing Underrepresented Minority Representation in a General Surgery Residency Program Utilizing a 3-Phase Strategy

Background Underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in surgery are not significantly increasing despite evidence suggesting that diversity in health care providers leads to excellent patient outcomes and care. Efforts to increase URM representation in surgical residency programs are essential for add...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American surgeon 2024-11, Vol.90 (11), p.2675-2678
Main Authors: Magura, Connor M., Rubino, Matthew S., Bolaji, Toba, Goldberg, Michael B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Health care
Hispanic Americans
Interviews
Medicine
Minority & ethnic groups
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Patient satisfaction
Patients
Physicians
Recruitment
Representations
Success
Surgeons
Surgery
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in surgery are not significantly increasing despite evidence suggesting that diversity in health care providers leads to excellent patient outcomes and care. Efforts to increase URM representation in surgical residency programs are essential for addressing disparities and improving health care delivery. Methods This retrospective study outlines a three-phase strategy implemented at a large academic-affiliated hospital to increase URM representation in its general surgery residency program. The strategy encompassed interview selection with a holistic review and implicit bias training for interviewers, modification of the interview scoring rubric, and post-interview recruitment efforts, including a virtual second look event for URM applicants. Results Following the implementation of these strategies, the URM match rate improved from 0 to 33.3% in the first year and was sustained at 33.3% in the subsequent year. Consequently, the representation of URMs in the residency program rose from 6.7% before our intervention to 13.3% afterwards. Discussion This structured approach successfully increased URM representation in a surgical residency program, affirming the success of targeted recruitment strategies. By promoting a diverse and inclusive environment, the program better reflects the community it serves, with aims at improved patient care and patient satisfaction.
ISSN:0003-1348
1555-9823
1555-9823
DOI:10.1177/00031348241248687