Promoting Diversity in Orthopedic Surgery Residency Programs: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Visiting Student Diversity Scholarships

Background Underrepresented minority students in medicine (URiM) encounter numerous obstacles while pursuing careers in medicine. One significant challenge is the financial burdens of pursuing a career in medicine. Specifically the application process for residency away rotations can be financially costly, and these rotations have become increasingly vital for medical students to match into competitive specialties. Because of these financial obstacles, residency programs have implemented visiting student diversity scholarships to alleviate this financial burden and foster diversity in orthopedic surgery. The aim of this investigation was to provide a comprehensive review and centralized source of information for the growing number of student diversity scholarships for away rotations in orthopedic surgery. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of ERAS-participating orthopedic surgery programs (n=203) from the 2023/2024 application cycle. The study utilized residency and program web domains to collect information on the monetary value of the scholarship, number of scholarships being offered, eligibility criteria, and required application documents. Results This study found that approximately 34% (n=67) of programs offer a scholarship for URiM visiting medical students. The average number of scholarships offered per program was 5 ± 4.6 with an average value per scholarship of $1,856.6 ± $706.6. Most programs defined eligibility of URiM status in a statement similar to that of the AAMCs. Low socioeconomic status was accounted for in 8 (11.9%) programs. Most programs (90%) catered only to 4th-year medical students, 15 required USMLE Step 1 scores, and 16 required letters of recommendation. The application deadline was anywhere from January 30th to June 30th of that year. Conclusion This study serves as a centralized resource for URiM students seeking away rotations in orthopedic surgery. It is encouraging to see numerous URiM scholarships are available and enhancing their availability will advance inclusivity in the field. Perhaps programs can collectively list their URiM scholarships on the AAMC website to increase awareness and encourage application for these resources which will hopefully positively impact our field of orthopaedic surgery.