Engaging medical students in cardiac surgery: a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion

Abstract

Purpose of reviewThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic prohibited Canadian medical students from in-person observerships. This may be particularly detrimental to under-represented groups that may consider surgical subspecialties. To address the unprecedented need for alternative surgical career exploration and diversity within the profession, The University of Toronto Cardiac Surgery Interest Group and Division of Cardiac Surgery collaborated on virtual experiential programming. Recent findingsMedical students were invited to virtual (1) observerships of a cardiac bypass case, (2) mentorship sessions with surgeons, (3) resident teaching sessions, (4) multidisciplinary case-based Heart Team discussions to further their understanding of the scope of Cardiac surgery, and (5) a virtual coronary anastomosis training program. Additionally, a comprehensive virtual program was spearheaded to increase interest in Cardiac surgery among low-income Black high school students.

2023 Update on equity, diversity, and inclusion in Canadian cardiac surgery

“…Early exposure and dedicated teaching opportunities has been proven vital to promote diverse recruitment to the field [14–18,19 ▪ ]. This year, University of Toronto established three scholarships to support medical students from minority backgrounds – ‘Temerty Faculty of Medicine and St. Michael's Hospital Cardiac Surgery Black and Indigenous Summer Research Scholarship,’ ‘Medtronic and St. Michael's Hospital Cardiac Surgery Summer Research Scholarship for Women,’ and ‘Women Leaders of Abbott and St. Michael's Hospital Cardiac Surgery Summer Research Scholarship for Women’.…”

“…Experiential programs for minority high school students help them explore the medical field and see the surgical field as more familiar, attainable, diverse, and interesting [20 ▪▪ ]. The Next Surgeon high school pilot program through the University of Toronto aims to increase interest in cardiac surgery among low-income Black high school students in Toronto, Canada [19 ▪ ]. In the pilot year, 24 high school students completed a 6-week program to explore their potential as future surgeons.…”