Prevalence, Plans, and Perceptions: Disability in Family Medicine Residencies

Area of Science:

• Graduate Medical Education
• Physician Workforce Diversity
• Disability Inclusion

Background:

• Medical organizations advocate for physician workforce diversity, including disability.
• Limited research exists on disability in graduate medical education (GME).
• Need for data on disability prevalence, recruitment, and barriers in GME.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess disability prevalence in residents.
• Examine recruitment plans for residents with disabilities.
• Understand program perceptions of disability inclusion barriers.

Main Methods:

• Survey distributed to 200 family medicine department chairs.
• Part of a larger omnibus survey by CERA.
• Data collected via SurveyMonkey.

Main Results:

• Over 30% of programs reported faculty with disabilities.
• 50% of programs matriculated residents with disabilities in the past 5 years.
• Programs with more disabled faculty had recruitment plans; inadequate expertise was a key barrier.

Conclusions:

• Faculty with disabilities may drive recruitment plans for residents with disabilities.
• Increased professional development is crucial for disability inclusion.
• Addressing barriers is essential to meet diversity goals in medicine.