Shifting the Paradigm in Workforce Diversity: Prioritizing an Inclusive Environment in Graduate Medical Education

Authors

Shaunte Y. Anum-Addo, S.Y. Anum-Addo is a primary care pediatrician and assistant program director for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Pediatric Residency Program, Children's National Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
Jessica Hippolyte, J. Hippolyte is a senior pediatric emergency medicine fellow, Children's National Hospital, and a pediatrics research instructor, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
Aisha Barber, A. Barber is a pediatric hospital medicine attending and director, Pediatric Residency Program, Children's National Hospital, and associate professor of pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-29-2024

Journal

Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

DOI

10.1097/ACM.0000000000005864

Abstract

A diverse physician workforce is important to achieving the goal of health equity. Recruitment efforts are often the focus of graduate medical education (GME) workforce diversity efforts. However, to achieve the goal of workforce diversity, a foundation of inclusivity is essential to address the experiences of trainees whose race and ethnicity are underrepresented in medicine (UIM).Professional identity formation (PIF) describes the process through which trainees integrate their personal and professional identities as they learn to not only act but feel like they belong in their professional role. The concept of PIF provides a framework to consider how GME leaders can intentionally address inclusivity in training programs. The process of PIF is influenced by many factors including trainees' clinical and non-clinical experiences, their treatment by others, as well as the training program's structure, policy, and physical environment. The authors describe these factors influencing PIF, then through the lens of PIF, describe approaches that programs and institutions have taken to address inclusivity by investing in the workforce, disrupting the hidden curriculum, revisiting policies and procedures, and examining the physical environment.The authors encourage programs, institutions, and the greater GME community to leverage each learning environment's unique strengths and root out challenges to enhance inclusivity for UIM trainees.

APA Citation

Anum-Addo, Shaunte Y.; Hippolyte, Jessica; and Barber, Aisha, "Shifting the Paradigm in Workforce Diversity: Prioritizing an Inclusive Environment in Graduate Medical Education" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 5416.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/5416

Department

Pediatrics