Culturally Sensitive Recruitment

A good way to increase diversity in your program is to actively recruit and interview qualified women and minority medical students for any open residency positions. The AAOS Diversity Advisory Board is spearheading a grassroots awareness campaign to help program directors like you reach out to medical students interested in specializing in orthopaedics. Recent Academy research shows that medical students receive little or no exposure to orthopaedics during their time in medical school. We have produced culturally sensitive recruitment brochures and a video to help promote orthopaedics to medical students.

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A video entitled "Follow Your Path" will help in your recruiting efforts. It features three orthopaedic surgeons who explain their career choices, their affinity for orthopaedics, and the challenges they've encountered and overcome. We hope you'll consider hosting a cookout, brown bag lunch forum, or some other informal gathering for medical school students where you can show the videotape, distribute brochures, and respond to any questions. To request a free DVD and brochures, please email baum@aaos.org.

Furthermore, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has added race and ethnicity information to the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). You'll find instructions on how to access race and ethnicity information (among other criteria) in the ERAS Data Filter Section of your Program Director's Workstation Manual. Please visit the ERAS site for more information.

• AAOS Reaches Out to Minority Students
• Video Promotes Orthopaedics to Med Students
• How to Obtain an Orthopaedic Residency (114k PDF)
• Road to Diversity Tough, but Possible