Submission ID 77838
| Code | P4 |
|---|---|
| At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: | |
| Category | Medical Education |
| Type | Poster |
| Will the presenter be a: | Student |
| Title | Prize or Purpose: How Do We Promote Diversity on Medical School Admission Websites? |
| Background/Purpose | Medical schools' admissions websites are often the first point of contact and the largest platform for medical schools to promote diversity to prospective students. Research from organizational structures supports the empowering effects of using instrumental values (IV) to promote diversity (emphasizing diversity as a core belief and means to achieve greater goals), rather than terminal values (TV) (emphasizing diversity itself as the end-goal). We characterized the use of IV and TV regarding diversity on Canadian medical school underrepresented minority (URM) admission pathway webpages. |
| Methods | Following a literature review, we created a codebook outlining characteristics of IV and TV. Next, two independent researchers deductively coded all URM application pathway websites from Canadian medical schools, and conducted a thematic analysis with a diverse research team. We used a chi-square test to compare the relative proportion of TV and IV in URM pathways. |
| Results | A total of 47 webpages were coded and use of TV predominated. Prominent themes were "Response," wherein diversity was promoted in response to policies or public accountability, and "Dominant Culture," wherein schools reinforce dominant culture while making diversity an "exception". The proportional use of TV was significantly more prominent in Indigenous pathways compared to Black student application pathways (76% vs 50%, p = 0.0015). |
| Discussion | Medical schools are predominantly promoting diversity as an end-goal rather than a core value. Schools may be overlooking key opportunities to promote diversity to potential applicants. Shifting the websites' focus from TV to IV represents a tangible change that may help foster inclusivity in medical school. |
| Keyword 1 | Instrumental and Terminal Value |
| Keyword 2 | Underrepresented Minority Pathways |
| Keyword 3 | Medical Admission |
| Abstract content most relevant to: (check all that apply) | Undergraduate Medical Education |
| Abstract Track - First Choice | Admissions |
| Authors | Yebin Shin Yebin Shin Amrit Kirpalani Amanda Stojcevski Taylor Miller |
