M. K. Mandabach1, E. N. Williams1, H. Chen1, L. C. Tanner1 1University Of Alabama at Birmingham,Surgery,Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Introduction: General surgery residencies have been historically dominated by Caucasian males, especially in the South. The purpose of this study is to examine how the demographics of surgical residents, including race, gender, and medical school region, have changed from 1980 to 2017. We hypothesize that there has been an increase in diversity over time.
Methods: Demographic information of the general surgery residents from 1980 to 2017 was collected. The race, gender, medical school, year of application, and categorical status were recorded. The resident’s medical school was classified into one of five regional groups: Southern, Central, Northeast, Western, and foreign. The Southern, Central, Northeast, and Western regions were defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), while the foreign group contained medical schools that fell outside of the United States and Canada and the classification of the AAMC. The residents were compared by five-year increments.
Results: During this 37-year period, 639 residents were in general surgery training. The percentage of women in the resident population increased from 9% in 1980-1984 to 36% in the 2015-2017 group. The percentage of non-Caucasian students increased from 3% in the 1980-1984 group to 26% in 2015-2017 group. While 90% of the residents were from the South in the 1980-1984 group, only 69% of residents were from the South between 2015-2017.
Conclusion: This Southern general surgery residency program has increased in diversity over the course of nearly forty years. More women and minorities are becoming surgeons, and our institution has stretched to recruit students from across the United States and worldwide. While much progress has been made to further surgeon diversity in all respects, continued efforts must be made to grow a surgeon population that mirrors the diversity in the population they intend to serve.
