A new study sheds light on the persistent lack of diversity across gender and race in the surgical workforce.
Research from Yale University has prompted concerns about career paths for medical students from marginalised groups – and the potential impact of this on patient care.
The authors say their findings emphasise the need for increased efforts to address bias and promote inclusivity within surgical departments.
The study, published in the Annals of Surgery, examined the career paths of 22,660 medical students who enrolled in US schools between 2014 and 2015.
It highlighted two distinct paths – a sustained route where students entered medical school with a surgical interest and pursued a surgical residency upon graduation and a cultivated option where students initially lacked surgical interest but were placed in surgical residencies upon graduation.
Mytien Nguyen, the study’s lead author and an MD-PhD student at Yale School of Medicine, emphasised the importance of diversity in the surgical workforce.
She said: ‘A diverse workforce that reflects the population is important to patient care because patients tend to trust physicians with whom they identify. Prior studies have shown that racial concordance between patient and physician leads to better patient outcomes.’
The study revealed that female students and those identifying with Asian, Hispanic, or low-income backgrounds were less likely to enter surgical residencies compared to their male and non-marginalised counterparts.
Additionally, a disparity was observed among students with marginalised identities, such as female, ethnoracial groups underrepresented in medicine, and low-income backgrounds, who were least likely to pursue surgical paths.
Past research has highlighted the challenges medical students and surgical residents face from diverse backgrounds, including feelings of not belonging, mistreatment, financial barriers and a lack of role models.
The Yale researchers proposed several recommendations to counter these issues and foster diversity in surgical specialties.
They urged medical schools to initiate outreach programmes targeting high school students and undergraduates to spark an early interest in surgery.
Furthermore, the establishment of surgical mentorship initiatives and efforts to address bias and mistreatment were suggested to ensure equitable career progression.
Dr Paris Butler, associate professor and vice chair of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine and co-senior author of the study, stressed the importance of creating a welcoming environment for students from marginalised backgrounds.
‘Fostering belonging among students from marginalised backgrounds will be key to boosting diversity in surgery departments. Transforming the surgical learning environment and the culture of the surgical field is essential for building a diverse workforce and ensuring the best experiences and outcomes for our patients.’
The study’s conclusions underscore the urgent need to address the substantial disparities in sustained and cultivated paths in surgery during undergraduate medical education.
The researchers call for innovative measures to promote surgical identity development and inclusivity, particularly for female students, those underrepresented in medicine and those from low-income groups.
Recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) further highlights the discrepancy between physician demographics and the US population.
While Black or African American individuals account for around 12% of the US population, only 5.7% of physicians identify as such. Similarly, gender disparities persist in physician specialties, with women remaining concentrated in specific fields.
As the conversation around diversity and equity in the medical field gains momentum, researchers and medical institutions continue to work toward a more inclusive future, emphasising the need to reshape surgical departments to reflect their diverse populations.
Photo caption - Image created with generative AI (Michael S. Helfenbein)
