Tips for An Inclusive Orthopaedic Department
Institutional & Cultural Strategies
​Mentorship and Sponsorship:
Ask your staff & resident/trainees to join the IODA mentorship platform and establish sponsorship programs to guide and support individuals from diverse backgrounds, helping them navigate their careers in orthopaedics. ​​
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Psychological Safety:
Cultivate a work environment where everyone feels safe to express their ideas and concerns without fear of judgment or retaliation. ​
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Work-Life Integration:
Implement policies and practices that support work-life balance, such as providing dependent care travel grants, lactation rooms, and childcare assistance to support new parents. ​​
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Early Exposure and Pipeline Development:
Create pathways and programs to expose underrepresented groups to orthopaedics from an early stage to build a more diverse future workforce. ​
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Allyship and Education:
Educate staff about identifying personal biases, understanding privilege, and actively supporting marginalized voices to build a more inclusive culture.
Recruitment & Retention Strategies
​Targeted Recruitment:
Enhance recruitment efforts to attract a more diverse applicant pool by promoting orthopaedics as a career choice to a broader range of individuals.
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Institutional Culture:
Foster inclusive institutional cultures that are essential for both recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
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Faculty Diversity:
Promote diversity among faculty members to increase the likelihood of recruiting diverse medical students and residents into the field.
Policy & Clinical Strategies
Gender-Inclusive & Culturally-Inclusive Guidelines:
Develop and implement clinical guidelines and assessment tools that are inclusive and equitable, addressing disparities in patient care. ​
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Equitable Research Funding:
Advocate for equitable research funding to ensure a wider range of perspectives and needs are addressed. ​
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Addressing Harassment and Bias:
Implement codes of conduct and programs to address sexual harassment and unconscious bias, which are significant factors driving individuals from orthopaedics. ​
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Supporting Individuals with Disabilities or Medical Conditions:
Develop programs to support individuals with disabilities in the field of orthopaedics, beginning the conversation about how to navigate the specialty with a medical condition.
Leadership & Advocacy
​Leadership Roles:
Work to achieve diverse and inclusive representation in orthopaedic board and leadership roles. ​
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Public Awareness:
Raise public awareness of diversity issues and celebrate the successes of under-represented groups to shift perceptions and encourage broader participation.
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​Engagement and Outreach:
Engage in community initiatives and outreach programs to promote orthopaedics and highlight the importance of diversity.