J. Birney1, J. Veach1, K. Dixon3, S. Adkins1, H. Minchew2, D. Vance1, J. Baker4, L. Chollet-Hinton4, G. Berbel3, L. Kilgore3 1University Of Kansas, School Of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA 2University Of Kansas, Department Of Neurosurgery, Kansas City, KS, USA 3University Of Kansas, Department Of Surgery, Kansas City, KS, USA 4University Of Kansas, Department Of Biostatistics & Data Science, Kansas City, KS, USA
Introduction: Like much of medicine, the field of surgery has historically been dominated by students identifying as white males. Since 2017, however, there have been an equal rate of men and women matriculating into medical schools with increasing numbers of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students, students whose racial and ethnic populations are underrepresented in medicine relative to their representation in the general population. It is expected that it will take time for specialties to diversify as there are known barriers that URiM students continue to face. Understanding student demographics and reported barriers are essential to efforts that expand the diversity of surgical fields. This study aims to identify the demographics of students considering surgical specialties upon matriculation at an academic institution to then further identify possible barriers for URiM students.
Methods: A single academic institution pilot study was performed after IRB approval. Prior to the start of the academic year, a question-and-answer panel was held to explore the differences between surgical or non-surgical career paths. The panel consisted of fourth-year medical students applying to surgical and non-surgical fields, internal medicine and surgery residents, and internal medicine and surgery faculty physicians. Attendee demographics and career path interest were collected after the panel. Differences in attendee demographics were compared with reported interest in surgical vs. non-surgical specialties.
Results: The panel was attended by 56 first- year medical students. Thirty-five (62.5%) students who attended the panel reported an interest in surgery. Sixteen (46%) of those interested in surgery identified as female and 7 (21%) identified as URiM. There were thirty (86%) of students who were not first-generation students that were interested in surgery.
Conclusion: In congruence with current literature, students interested in surgery at our academic institution were primarily male and did not identify as URiM. As the number of URiM students entering medical school increases, the field of surgery should continue to foster a welcoming environment for minority students. Most of these students also came from families who had college education, which influences the opportunities students have. Further research and programs should be implemented to continue these efforts and identify and address the reasons for these barriers.?