Advancing Equity in Graduate Medical Education Recruitment Through a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit for...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine

Background:

• The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandates diversity standards for graduate medical education (GME).
• Limited literature exists on how program directors (PDs) can implement these diversity standards effectively.
• There is a need to support PDs in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a DEI toolkit for PDs to enhance inclusive recruitment and DEI awareness.
• To assess the impact of the toolkit on PDs' perceptions and recruitment practices.

Main Methods:

• A DEI toolkit was developed and implemented at a large academic center.
• Surveys were administered to 80 PDs before toolkit launch and 6 months post-launch.
• Response rates were 27% at baseline and 97% after 6 months.

Main Results:

• At baseline, 45% of PDs anticipated the toolkit would offer better resources.
• After 6 months, 63% found the toolkit helpful for recruitment.
• 31% of PDs reported changing recruitment practices, including implementing unconscious bias training and standardized scoring rubrics.

Conclusions:

• A DEI toolkit can effectively increase DEI knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy among PDs.
• This toolkit serves as a model for other institutions to adopt for promoting DEI in academic medicine.
• Supporting PDs is crucial for recruiting a diverse medical workforce.