June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and affirm the ACGME’s commitment to equity and inclusion. The ACGME believes that diversity enriches graduate medical education (GME) and the broader medical community, and that it improves the quality of patient care. A diverse physician workforce contributes to the reduction of health care inequities. In support of the ACGME’s Mission, and its goals of positively impacting health care access and patient outcomes, the organization’s Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion engages in work to provide knowledge and tools to the GME community.
A Resource for Equity
The ACGME is proud to offer a range of educational resources through its online learning portal, Learn at ACGME. Note: a free account is required to access most of the content in Learn at ACGME. This Pride Month, we’d like to highlight a few relevant courses, resources that are part of the ACGME Equity Matters® program, and are designed to help members of the GME community foster greater understanding and promote equity in medical education:
- Gender Disparities: This course explores the unique challenges faced by different genders in the medical field and discusses strategies for addressing these disparities.
- Gender Equity: Climate and Culture: This course presents theoretical cases of harassment, microaggressions, and parenthood in GME; reviews the latest data; and provides strategies to optimize culture and climate for all.
- Sexual Minorities: This course provides an overview of common terms and health concerns and shares strategies to support a welcoming clinical learning environment for sexual minorities.
- Gender Minorities: This course reviews the current landscape in GME for gender minorities and key components of competence in providing equitable and inclusive care, and offers strategies for incorporating best practices into your equity mindset and practice.
These courses are part of the ACGME’s ongoing efforts to provide comprehensive, relevant, and accessible education on issues of equity in health care.
The ACGME Equity Practice Toolkit: Allyship
In addition to video resources, the ACGME Equity Practice Toolkit includes a section on allyship with training videos that use case-based approaches to guide learners on how to become effective allies.
Dr. Sunny Nakae, who has partnered with the ACGME to develop and provide several resources, narrates these videos, which utilize practical verbal tools to enhance situational awareness around the need for allyship interventions. Through these videos, learners will understand how our motivations, behaviors, and outlook can manifest as self-interest, altruism, or the pursuit of social justice.
As we celebrate Pride Month, let’s try to remember that the journey toward equity and inclusion is ongoing and deliberate. The ACGME encourages everyone in the GME community and the medical education continuum to utilize these resources, engage in conversations, and take action to promote equity and inclusion in medical education and beyond.
Happy Pride Month!