Medical students' attitudes on diversity when applying to Toronto's ophthalmology residency program.
BACKGROUND
Affirmative action is a controversial admissions policy practised by universities in the United States and other countries around the world. It is currently not used at the University of Toronto ophthalmology residency program. A survey was conducted to determine the opinions of applicants as to the role that affirmative action and quotas should play during the admissions process and to determine the current ethnic breakdown of the applicants to ophthalmology.


METHODS
A survey of 14 questions was sent out to all 72 medical students applying for a residency position in our program. The response rate was 58%. The students were asked to agree or disagree on a 5-point Likert scale with statements related to ethnicity, gender, and whether affirmative action policies exist or should exist for certain groups.


RESULTS
The majority of the respondents (26/42, 62%) considered themselves an ethnic minority, and 57% (24/42) considered themselves a visible minority. Most (32/42) felt that the sex of the applicant should not play a role in the selection process. Only 24% (10/42) supported affirmative action, and only 12% (5/42) supported quotas for minority applicants.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of survey respondents in this study did not support affirmative action or quotas at the University of Toronto ophthalmology program. The applicants to this program represent a diverse group of individuals from a multitude of ethnic, cultural, and racial backgrounds, and, in their average opinion, affirmative action policies would not benefit our admissions program.
Christakis
Theodore J
TJ
Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Christakis
Panos G
PG
Chipman
Mary L
ML
Christakis
John T
JT
D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009864:Ontario; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education*; D012570:School Admission Criteria / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires