Abstract
Traditional metrics used in residency application review processes are systematically biased against applicants from minoritized communities that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM). These biases harm not just URiM applicants but also residency programs and patients. Although several residency programs have implemented holistic reviews to mitigate these biases, few tested tools exist that can be adapted and implemented in a wide variety of settings within academic medicine. This article describes advances made in the third year of a longitudinal, ongoing quality improvement project that used the A3 framework to improve recruitment of URiM residents to a family medicine residency program. The authors devised a systematic holistic application review process (SHARP) to determine which applicants to invite to interview with the program. SHARP's development began in August 2019, and after significant discussion with program leadership and iterations of rubric refinement, the program adopted SHARP in September 2020 to review applications for the 2021 application cycle. Compared with the 2016 to 2020 period before SHARP implementation, data from the 2021 and 2022 residency application cycles after SHARP implementation showed a significant increase in the proportion of interviewed candidates who identify as URiM (from 23% to 38%, P < .001) and matched candidates who identify as URiM (from 27% to 62%, P = .004). There was also a notable increase in the number and diversity of reviewers who evaluated applicants to the program. SHARP is a promising tool to mitigate the effects of racism and other biases against URiM applicants to residency programs. Residency programs across specialties may benefit from adopting SHARP and adapting it based on their own goals and priorities.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.