Submission ID 78126
| Code | OB-2-4 |
|---|---|
| At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: | |
| Category | Medical Education |
| Type | Oral |
| Will the presenter be a: | Fellow |
| Title | Appraising Bias in Medical School Admissions: How Medical School Aspirants Reflect the Demography of the Canadian Population |
| Background/Purpose | The Canadian medical education community recognizes that certain groups of the population are underrepresented within the profession (Khan et al., 2020), possibly due to unwarranted bias in the medical school admissions process (e.g., Razack et al. 2015). However, it may also be the case that constraints on potential aspirants are realized earlier in the pathway, before applications are even constructed (Young et al., 2012). However, our collective ability to investigate the locus of implicit bias that emphasises structural inequity has been hindered by a lack of reliable identity data of medical school applicants. |
| Methods | In partnership with Altus Assessments, who administer a common medical school admissions assessment, Casper, and collect applicant social identity data via a voluntary post-Casper survey. Data from this survey are anonymized and compared to population-level demographic data obtained via Statistics Canada to determine the degree to which medical school aspirants who complete Casper reflect the demography of the Canadian population. |
| Results | The diversity profile of applicants who completed the voluntary survey following Casper relative to the Canadian population highlights underrepresentation from those who identify as Indigenous or Black, have low socioeconomic status, or come from low-income households and rural areas. |
| Discussion | Results are discussed in the context of medical schools' social accountability mandate which starts with improving equity and diversity during the admissions process. The results presented here will inform admissions policymakers and provide a foundation on which to consider patterns of association between social identity features and admissions outcomes. |
| Keyword 1 | bias |
| Keyword 2 | underrepresented in medicine |
| Keyword 3 | medical school admissions |
| Abstract content most relevant to: (check all that apply) | Undergraduate Medical Education |
| Abstract Track - First Choice | Admissions |
| Authors | Thuy-Anh Ngo Thuy-Anh Ngo Lawrence Grierson Alexander MacIntosh Anjali Menezes Jason Profetto |
