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Increasing Diversity in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency: A Case Report of One Program's Experience Using Pipeline
Hans K Owuor1,2, Eric J Strauss1, Toni McLaurin1
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York, New York.
JB & JS Open Access
|October 7, 2024
Summary
Proactive strategies significantly increased representation of underrepresented in orthopaedics (URiO) groups and women in a residency program. The study highlights successful recruitment and retention methods for a diverse orthopaedic surgery workforce.
Area of Science:
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Medical Education
- Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine
Background:
- Underrepresented in medicine (URM) groups and women are historically underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery.
- Underrepresented in orthopaedics (URiO) encompasses URM groups and women in this specialty.
- Addressing this disparity is crucial for a diverse and representative surgical workforce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of specific recruitment strategies on increasing URiO trainee representation.
- To analyze changes in URiO representation within an academic orthopaedic surgery residency program from 2000 to 2023.
- To identify departmental initiatives that may have influenced the recruitment of a diverse trainee cohort.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of orthopaedic surgery residency match lists from 2000-2023 for racial and gender data.
- Categorization of match lists into 6-year quantiles to identify recruitment trends.
- Review of applicant data and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) reports (2018-2022) and exploration of departmental strategies.
Main Results:
- URiO representation increased from 2000-2023: Hispanic (+5%), Black/African American (+11%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (+1%), and women (+27%).
- The attrition rate among URiO residents was low at 1%.
- Between 2018-2022, Black/African American, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents constituted 5%, 4%, and 0.04% of orthopaedic surgery residents, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Proactive departmental strategies can effectively enhance the recruitment and representation of URiO individuals in orthopaedic surgery.
- The findings offer valuable insights for other programs seeking to improve diversity in surgical training.
- Successful recruitment and retention strategies are essential for building a more equitable orthopaedic surgery workforce.
