Diversity in core surgical training: Trends between 2012 and 2022.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Healthcare Workforce Diversity

Background:

• A diverse healthcare workforce is crucial for meeting population needs.
• Core Surgical Training (CST) is the foundational stage of surgical education in the UK.
• Diversity trends within CST have not been previously analyzed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in gender, ethnicity, disability, and sexuality among successful UK Core Surgical Training applicants.
• To provide a decade-long overview of diversity in surgical training admissions (2012-2022).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study utilizing UK Medical Education Database (UKMED) data.
• Analysis of anonymized data from successful CST applicants (2012-2022).
• Chi-squared tests for trend were employed to assess demographic changes over time.

Main Results:

• The proportion of Non-White CST entrants significantly increased from 36.5% in 2012 to 54.3% in 2022 (p < 0.001).
• Applicants declaring a disability rose from 4.8% (2016) to 10.4% (2019) (p = 0.014).
• No significant trends were observed for gender or sexuality diversity in CST applicants.

Conclusions:

• Positive trends in ethnic and disability diversity among CST applicants over the last decade.
• Lack of significant progress in gender and sexuality diversity within surgical training.
• Further investigation into entry barriers is recommended to foster an inclusive surgical workforce.