Barriers in Ophthalmology Residency Applications for Students Identifying as Underrepresented in Medicine: A San Francisco Match Analysis.

Autor: Maru JA; School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California., Wang J; Johns Hopkins Biostatistics Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland., Knight OJ; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California., Tsou BC; Department of Ophthalmology, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York., Oatts JT; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California., Ross DA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut., Moore EZ; Department of Engineering, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut., Zhang AY; Department of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Ramanathan S; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California., Woreta FA; Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: fworeta1@jhmi.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of surgical education [J Surg Educ] 2023 Jul; Vol. 80 (7), pp. 971-980. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 20.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.04.009
Abstrakt: Objective: There is a significant lack of ophthalmologists who self-identify as underrepresented in medicine (URiM) in the physician workforce. Prior literature has revealed bias in traditional metrics for selection relied on by resident programs such as United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, letters of recommendation (LOR), and induction into medical honors societies such as Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA). The purpose of this study was to elucidate race-based differences in word usage within ophthalmology residency letters of recommendation that may disproportionately affect URiM applicants.
Design: This was a retrospective, cohort study.
Setting: This was a multicenter study across the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Participants: San Francisco (SF) Match applications submitted to three ophthalmology residency programs between 2018 and 2020 were reviewed. URiM status, USMLE Step 1 score, and AOA membership were recorded. Letters of recommendation were analyzed using text analysis software. T-tests and chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Frequency of word/summary term usage in letters of recommendation were the main outcome measures.
Results: Relative to non-URiM applicants, URiM applicants had lower USMLE Step 1 scores (mean difference=7.0; p<0.001). Non-URiM letters of recommendation were more likely to describe applicants as "dependable" (p=0.009) and highlight "research" (p=0.046). URiM letters were more likely to describe applicants as "warm" (p=0.02) and "caring" (p=0.02).
Conclusions: This study identified potential barriers for URiM ophthalmology residency applicants which can help guide future interventions to increase workforce diversity.
(Copyright © 2023 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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