MP12-12 CORRELATES OF UNDERREPRESENTED MEDICAL STUDENTS' INTEREST IN AND DECISION TO PURSUE UROLOGY

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyEducation Research II (MP12)1 Sep 2021MP12-12 CORRELATES OF UNDERREPRESENTED MEDICAL STUDENTS' INTEREST IN AND DECISION TO PURSUE UROLOGY Efe Ghanney Simons, Kassandra Zaila, Natalia Garcia Peñaloza, Serena Does, Samuel Washington, Tracy Downs, and Christopher Saigal Efe Ghanney SimonsEfe Ghanney Simons More articles by this author , Kassandra ZailaKassandra Zaila More articles by this author , Natalia Garcia PeñalozaNatalia Garcia Peñaloza More articles by this author , Serena DoesSerena Does More articles by this author , Samuel WashingtonSamuel Washington More articles by this author , Tracy DownsTracy Downs More articles by this author , and Christopher SaigalChristopher Saigal More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001985.12AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Early sustained exposure, mentorship, and acquisition of clinical skills increase medical students’ intentions to pursue urology. The current work is the first to examine potential racial and ethnic differences in how these factors shape Under-Represented in Medicine (URM) medical students’ interest in urology. METHODS: All medical students at UCLA were surveyed using an instrument adapted from prior work regarding specialty selection by medical students. We defined URM as those students who identified as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were performed to compare factors that positively or negatively influence interest in urology across race/ethnicity. Logistic regression was used to determine differences in level of interest in urology across race. RESULTS: We sent surveys to all 804 medical students, and received 394 responses (49%). 123 participants (28%) met criteria for URM. Mentorship (p=0.0186) and access to underserved patient populations/patient diversity (p <0.0001) were considered ‘extremely important’ when choosing a residency specialty to pursue for Black and Latinx students compared to Asian and White students. Black and Latinx students who reported having limited/relatively low interest in urology attributed it to having no role models in urology at approximately twice the rate compared to Asian and White students. Race/ethnicity was shown to be a significant contributing factor to students’ perception of urology as a good fit (p <0.0001) while gender identity had no influence (p=0.1736). After adjusting for multiple covariates, including perceived “fit” and access to role models, level of interest in urology and planning to pursue a career in urology was not significantly associated with race. CONCLUSIONS: Despite significant interest among URM students in pursuing a career in urology, many of these students lack role models and are encouraged to pursue less competitive fields, which may impact the recruitment of URM students into urology. Addressing these factors will be critical to diversifying our specialty to better meet the needs of our patient population. Source of Funding: Office of the Vice Dean for Education and Executive Director of the DGSOM AntiRacism Roadmap © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e192-e193 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Efe Ghanney Simons More articles by this author Kassandra Zaila More articles by this author Natalia Garcia Peñaloza More articles by this author Serena Does More articles by this author Samuel Washington More articles by this author Tracy Downs More articles by this author Christopher Saigal More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...