Session Design Submission Review

Yes

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
• Faculty Development
• Graduate Surgical Education

From evidence of gender and racial bias within faculty letters of recommendation to the race-based differences present in examination scores such as the USMLE Step 1 and 2, bias is pervasive within medical student and resident recruitment. Implicit biases such as these stem from unconscious or involuntary judgments one makes toward a person based on an internalized stereotype, often coming from a lived experience. These biases are highly prevalent within medical education, such as is demonstrated in studies showing that staff surgeons prefer men in fields such as surgery and women in fields such as family medicine, and lead to discrimination toward trainees who are under-represented in medicine.

Implicit bias can be most impactful when making high stakes decisions, such as during resident and medical student recruitment. Comments such as “they just don’t fit our program” may mask an underlying implicit bias against the “other” or preference for an applicant who has shared characteristics with an interviewer, a phenomenon known as cloning. Further, over-reliance on inherently biased, seemingly objective assessments such as grades and test scores to screen applicants can result in less diversity within a medical school or residency program.

Trainee recruitment in medical education has undergone significant change over the past few decades, as medical schools and residency programs alike shift from a focus on grades and test scores to holistic review. In order to increase recruitment of diverse trainees in UME and GME as these changes occur, we must train our educators in effective strategies for mitigating the impact of implicit bias. Therefore, this workshop (co-sponsored by the DEI, GSE, and Faculty Development Committees) aims to give UME and GME leaders in education the tools they need to conduct effective holistic reviews of applicants while decreasing the implicit bias in selection committee meetings and decisions.

90-minute workshop

Yes

Yes

Describe an effective process for holistic review of applicants to medical school or residency

Strategize solutions to common barriers to holistic review

Identify methods for mitigating the impact of implicit bias within faculty interviews and selection committee decisions