Examining diversity recruitment efforts in US-Based Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residencies: A survey of program directors on gender, ethnic and racial diversity and Implications for Recruitment efforts

Abstract

As the population of the United States (US) continues to grow and diversify, it is critical that the medical profession follows. This study aimed to evaluate aspects of the current landscape of diversity within physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) by surveying program directors (PDs) of US-based PM&R residencies. The secondary aim was to identify program characteristics that correlate with more diverse residency classes. An online, cross-sectional 17-question survey was distributed to PDs of all US-based PM&R residencies with known contact information (95/100), with a completed survey response rate of 53% (50/95). Race and ethnicity categories of the survey were based on those used by the US Census. The percentages of individuals identifying as women or those underrepresented in medicine (URiM) in this survey were below those of the general US population, a trend also seen within the field of PM&R overall. Linear regression revealed no statistically significant association between the percentage of URiM residents and commonly used diversity recruitment initiatives. There was a significant association between the presence of a departmental role for DEI and the percentage of women residents (OR 1.13; p = 0.017). Continued research is required to identify additional strategies with demonstrated efficacy in recruiting diverse residency applicants.