Making Strides toward Inclusion, but Inequities Persist

Diversity, equity, and inclusion has become a priority in many professions after social injustice ignited protests around the country in recent years, and emergency medicine is no exception, according to the latest EMN salary survey. Sixty-nine percent strongly or somewhat agreed that DEI was important to them, and 64 percent said their institutions were promoting DEI through their policies and culture. Individual experiences painted a different picture. Several female EPs who responded to our survey said career advancement was difficult for women in the specialty. One person wrote, “There [are] not many mentors, and, unfortunately, for women, you're left in the dark trying to figure it out.” A few said white men were still more likely to get promoted. “In my community job, mentorship is still hard to come by and advancement has also been difficult, in part due to a meritocracy that favors white men over most others,” one respondent said. On the bright side, many EPs take DEI seriously, especially the younger generation of physicians. Seventy-six percent of EPs who have been practicing for three to five years, 70 percent of EPs with six to 10 years under their belt, and 69 percent of those who have been in EM for 11 to 15 years strongly or somewhat agreed with that sentiment. On the flip side, 21 percent of doctors who have spent 26 to 30 years in the field and 21 percent with more than 30 years of experience strongly or somewhat disagreed that diversity was a priority for them. Those who view DEI as essential said they were generally happy with the efforts their organizations are putting forth in this area. Seventy percent of those who have worked for three to five years strongly or somewhat agreed that their institutions promote DEI through policies and culture. Meanwhile, 62 percent of EPs with six to 10 years of experience and 72 percent of those with 11 to 15 years of experience said the same. Interestingly, even though fewer of the seasoned crowd said DEI was important, 11 percent of those who have poured more than 30 years into the specialty noticed that their institutions aren't actively trying to be inclusive. Emergency physicians in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region are champions of DEI, with 73 percent and 74 percent saying it's important, respectively. The highest percentage of EPs who consider DEI a priority was found in the Mountain area (80%). And the number of emergency physicians who said they valued DEI is about the same in the East South Central and Pacific regions, which include arguably some of the most diverse places in the country—69 percent vs. 68 percent. Once again, in locations where many EPs said they viewed DEI as important, satisfaction with organizations' efforts to foster inclusion runs high. Seventy-two percent of EPs in the Mid-Atlantic and 69 percent of those in the Mountain states strongly or somewhat agreed that their institutions emphasize DEI in their policies and culture. On the other hand, 15 percent of doctors in the Pacific region strongly or somewhat disagreed that their institutions had inclusive policies and culture. Urban EPs (76%) said they cared a lot about DEI, which made sense because those living in cities tend to encounter individuals from diverse backgrounds more frequently. Surprisingly, a large percentage of emergency physicians in remote areas (78%) said the same. Rural areas saw the highest percentage of EPs who said they strongly or somewhat disagreed that DEI was important at 19 percent, and they also had the highest percentage of EPs who said their institutions don't promote DEI enough at 17 percent. Remote EPs were even more dissatisfied with their institutions' efforts at creating an equitable workplace, with 18 percent saying so. Looking at the data through the lens of hospital types revealed that universities had the highest percentage of EPs who viewed DEI as important at 77 percent, followed by private for-profit facilities, where 72 percent said cultivating inclusion was essential. On the other end of the spectrum, 15 percent of EPs at community nonprofit and VA or military organizations said they strongly or somewhat disagreed that DEI was a priority for them. Academic EPs were also the happiest of the bunch with what their hospitals were doing to promote DEI, with 76 percent agreeing that their institutions try. Those who work at community for-profit hospitals made the opposite observation: Fifteen percent said facilities don't promote inclusion through their policies and culture. Many EPs (75%) working for hospitals and health care systems said DEI is important, and a similar number (72%) of these EPs said their institutions were committed to promoting DEI. Locum tenens EPs, however, said they don't see the same level of dedication to DEI there, with 27 percent strongly or somewhat disagreeing that their institution promoted DEI through their policies and culture. MS. LAM is a journalist with more than 10 years of experience in business-to-business and consumer publishing. Her work has appeared in national media outlets, including NPR, Women's Health, and Fast Company. Share this article on X and Facebook. Access the links in EMN by reading this on our website: www.EM-News.com. Comments? Write to us at [email protected].