L. Mueller1, R. Morenas1, M. Loe1, J. S. Turner2 1Tulane University School Of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA 2Tulane University School Of Medicine, Colon And Rectal General Surgery, New Orleans, LA, USA
Introduction: The gender and minority gaps in general surgery residency are narrowing; however, the literature lacks comprehensive data regarding the demographics of fellowship programs following general surgery training.
Methods: Data from 2017 to 2021 for gender, ethnicity and surgical subspecialty are publicly available from the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) database and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) yearly data reports. Cochran-Armitage trend and Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine statistical significance in trends for female and minority applicants and trainees.
Results: The overall trend of female applicants to surgical specialties remained stagnant. However female applicants to vascular surgery increased significantly from 25% to 35% (p=0.045). There was no significant increase in female trainees in any surgical specialties evaluated. Furthermore, the overall trend of minority applicants to surgical specialties also remained stagnant, except for pediatric surgery, which showed significantly fewer minority applicants. Despite pediatric surgery having fewer applicants, minority trainees in this specialty increased significantly from 8% to 19% (p=0.008).
Conclusion: Several current initiatives, such as intentional mentorship, are being reported to promote diverse and equal representation among female and minority applicants and trainees. However, the current overall margin of increase in diversity among surgical specialty applicants and trainees is minimal, indicating that continued efforts are needed to diversify surgical specialty training programs.
Figure 1. Female Applicants of Fellowship Training Programs According to Specialty
