The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is targeting a more diverse range of medical students to promote interest in the orthopedic specialty, according to an AAOS Now report.
According to the United States census data, the non-Hispanic white people declined from 69-64 percent, but AAOS census data pinpoints 88 percent of responding orthopedic surgeons as Caucasian. Additionally, women overtook men as the majority of U.S. citizens in the country — 50.2 percent — but women still only represent 7 percent of all orthopedic surgeons.
The Academy supports the Orthopaedic Summer Internship program aimed at attracting more female and minority physicians into orthopedics. Last year, AAOS also began partnering with Nth Dimension, a nonprofit educational organization focusing on healthcare disparities, to provide resources, activities and mentorships for orthopedic interns.
The Academy hopes these efforts will increase the number of female and minority medical students entering the orthopedic specialty.
