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.
Keywords: general surgery; surgical education.