Let us not neglect the impact of organizational culture on increasing diversity within medical schools

Alexander, Kirsty; Cleland, Jennifer; Nicholson, Sean

doi:10.1007/s40037-017-0342-4

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…If beliefs regarding purpose and value are at odds, this could lead to serious issues in the implementation and facilitation of such programmes. Faculty development workshops, specifically focused on WP/WA work, should be regular occurrences in medical schools, particularly given the influence of organisational culture 18 . These workshops should not just be focused on function and metrics for such programmes but delve deeper to promote individual and group reflections on the purpose for diversity‐related work.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding gateway to medicine programmes

Dueñas

Tiffin

Finn

2021

The Clinical Teacher

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SUMMARY Background Supporting underrepresented groups in pursuing, applying and matriculating into medical education is a key issue in the field. In the United Kingdom, Gateway to Medicine programmes were created as a specific form of entry to medical education, to support diversification goals. Whilst well‐established, how these programmes are broadly designed and implemented, and how their functioning links to conceptual views of diversity, is not well described in the literature. Methods This article explores relevant diversity‐related literature, including a specific review of all Gateway programmes. Findings Key facets of diversity‐related work in medicine, including the distinction between ‘widening participation’ and ‘widening access’ are discussed. These distinctions frame the presentation of Gateway years; their selection process, structure and function are described. The purpose of these years is then discussed, with the lens of different discourses around diversity in medicine, to provide theoretical and practical considerations. Recommendations for how faculty can better explore diversity‐related issues are also provided. Conclusion Gateway programmes may be effective, to some extent, in widening access to medical education, but require considerable resourcing to operate. Though heterogenous in nature, these programmes share common elements. However, discourses around the goals and purpose of this diversification vary based on individuals and institutions. These varied perspectives, as well as the societal and historical implications of diversity‐related work, are important for all clinical educators to understand with depth, and address directly, in order to reduce inequalities both within medical education and society at large.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding gateway to medicine programmes

Dueñas

Tiffin

Finn

2021

The Clinical Teacher

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“…We are working towards Diversity 3.0, where “diversity and inclusion are integrated into the core workings of the institution and [are both] integral to achieving excellence,” [ 63 , 64 ]. It is important to target the students individually by increasing their awareness of their own implicit bias, but it is equally important to change the culture at an institutional level [ 9 , 65 – 67 ]. This change should be apparent from the start of academic education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer-mentorship and first-year inclusion: building belonging in higher education

van der Velden,

Meeuwsen,

Fox

et al. 2023

BMC Med Educ

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Background An inclusive academic environment is pivotal to ensure student well-being and a strong sense of belonging and authenticity. Specific attention for an inclusive learning environment is particularly important during a student’s transition to higher education. At Utrecht University’s Medical School, explorative interviews with students from minority groups indicated they did not always feel included during the orientation programme of their academic education. We, therefore, developed a bias awareness training with theoretical and practical components on diversity and inclusion for peer-mentors who are assigned to each first-year student at the start of university. Methods At the end of the orientation programme, we investigated the effectiveness of the training for two consecutive years using two measurements. Firstly, we investigated the behavioural changes in the peer-mentors through a (self-reporting) questionnaire. Additionally, we measured the perceived inclusion of the first-year students, divided into belonging and authenticity, using a validated questionnaire. Results Our results show that peer-mentors found the training useful and indicated it enabled them to create an inclusive atmosphere. Overall, students experienced a high level of inclusion during the orientation programme. After the first year, the bias training was adjusted based on the evaluations. This had a positive effect, as mentors felt they were significantly more able to provide an inclusive orientation in the second year of this study. In line with this, students experienced an increased level of authenticity specifically due to the peer-mentor in the second year as compared to the first. Conclusions We conclude that training peer-mentors is an effective way to increase awareness and to ensure an inclusive atmosphere during the start of higher education.

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“…Addressing barriers through system-level changes is unlikely to have a lasting or genuine impact without accompanying culture change. 50 To be truly effective, this change needs to extend beyond medical schools to staff working in the profession itself, creating an inclusive run through of studying, training and working environments. This will take time and be challenging, for example, it will take many years for accessible and relatable widening participation role models to be available at all levels in all specialties.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging the deficit discourse in medical schools through reverse mentoring—using discourse analysis to explore staff perceptions of under-represented medical students

et al. 2021

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IntroductionDespite the increasing diversity of UK medical students, students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, some minority groups and members of communities with protected identities remain under-represented in medicine. In trying to ascertain why this under-representation persists, literature focuses on the barriers and challenges faced by under-represented students as opposed to the institution’s responsibility to remove or mitigate these obstacles. One UK University created a reverse mentoring scheme enabling students to mentor senior members of the medical faculty to help them understand the perspectives and experiences of students from minority backgrounds. This paper explores whether changes in staff perceptions of under-represented students resulted from engaging with reverse mentoring.MethodsThis qualitative study explored the impact of the reverse mentoring scheme. Staff mentees were required to write a narrative text about the Higher Education journey of an under-represented medical student before and after the reverse mentoring intervention. These texts were compared using discourse analysis to identify shifts in language use that demonstrated a change in perceptions.ResultsThe key themes from five senior staff members indicate a positive change in staff characterisation of the students and an acceptance of institutional responsibility for challenges faced. Initial texts revealed a superficial understanding of the student journey that focused on individual deficit but had fairy tale endings depicting the medical school as benevolent. The follow-up texts revealed a deeper understanding reflected by the portrayal of students as capable agents and containing pragmatic endings acknowledging the responsibility of the medical school.ConclusionThese findings highlight how removed senior staff can be from the reality of the student experience and that engaging with reverse mentoring helps to raise awareness and challenges the students face. This suggests a route for constructive change in medical schools and endorses the benefits of facilitating open discussion around educational inequity.

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Let us not neglect the impact of organizational culture on increasing diversity within medical schools

Abstract: None

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Understanding gateway to medicine programmes

Understanding gateway to medicine programmes

Peer-mentorship and first-year inclusion: building belonging in higher education

Challenging the deficit discourse in medical schools through reverse mentoring—using discourse analysis to explore staff perceptions of under-represented medical students

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