Abstract
Purpose :
Best recruitment practices for increasing resident diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), such as interview standardization and unconscious bias training, are well-established. The adoption and impact of these methods in the ophthalmology residency application are unknown. We aim to describe the effect of bias reduction practices in ophthalmology residency recruitment.
Methods :
A 20-question survey was distributed to the AUPO Program Directors (PDs) Council listserv. Information on selection committee bias training and interview practices were collected. Underrepresented in ophthalmology (URiO) was defined as those who identify as Black or African American, Latinx/a/o or Hispanic, Native American or Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, and/or another disadvantaged background (eg. first generation college student, non-United States citizen or permanent resident, individual with disabilities). Multivariate analysis was used to correlate select parameters with presence of URiO residents in the last 5 residency classes.
Results :
Among 106 PDs, 65 (61.3%) completed the survey. Fifty-six (86.2%) PDs provided committee bias training, 28 (43.1%) indicated some interview standardization, and 44 (67.7%) reported using post-interview metrics to assess DEI efforts. Use of application filters, post-interview metrics, and interview standardization were not significantly associated with URiO presence. On multivariate analysis, a larger residency class and use of multiple bias reduction interventions (eg. faculty bias training, journal clubs, implicit association testing) were positively associated with URiO presence, whereas use of interview rubrics was negatively associated (all p<0.001). These associations were significant for race/ethnicity subgroups in stratified analysis. However, only the negative association with use of interview rubrics remained significant for the LGBTQIA+ subgroup (p=0.01).
Conclusions :
Most ophthalmology residency interviews are not standardized, though standardization is not significantly associated with URiO presence. Use of multiple bias reduction tools is significantly associated with increased URiO resident recruitment, specifically for race/ethnicity subgroups. Interview rubrics, while intended to reduce bias, may inadvertently increase inequity. Our findings suggest discrete strategies to foster DEI and reduce bias in the resident application process.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.