A Virtual Pediatrics Elective for Underrepresented in Medicine Medical Students: An Innovative Residency Recruitment Tool to Promote Equity and Community Building.

Background Residency programs may use in-person medical student visiting rotations to highlight aspects of their programs and recruit diverse residents. Medical students, especially those underrepresented in medicine (URIM), may use visiting rotations to understand program culture, network, and to demonstrate their skills to residency programs. However, financial costs and time constraints during medical school training may limit some students' ability to participate in in-person visiting rotations. Objective We developed an innovative, fully virtual rotation for URIM students to provide pediatric education, mentorship, and introduction/immersion into our residency program, with the goals of providing a valuable educational experience and increasing recruitment of diverse residents. Methods We implemented a two-week virtual pediatrics rotation at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, incorporating two to four hours per day of virtual interaction, including simulation, educational conferences, mentorship, and meetings with residency/institutional leadership and committees. The elective was offered from 2020 to 2023. Participating students completed post-rotation surveys, rating each session (Likert scale, 1 = poor to 5 = excellent) to evaluate satisfaction with the rotation. Median scores were calculated. Secondary outcomes included the number of elective participants who matched into our pediatrics residency program and the annual proportion of URIM residents matched into our program. In addition, participants who ultimately matched into our residency program completed a long-term post-elective survey one to three years after the elective (sent in 2024), assessing the elective's influence on residency selection, sense of belonging, and mentorship during residency.  Results From 2020 to 2023, 13 students enrolled in the virtual rotation, and all 13 completed post-rotation surveys. Students rated 23 of 25 sessions (93%) during the elective as "excellent" (median Likert score 5), and all 13 respondents (100%) rated the overall course as "excellent" (Likert score 5). Nine of 13 students (69%) matched into our residency program. By 2023, 39% of pediatrics interns matched were URIM, representing a greater than 300% increase over four years. Eight of the nine residents (89%) who had participated in the virtual elective completed the long-term post-elective survey. All eight respondents (100%) indicated that the virtual elective positively impacted their decision to match into our residency program and that they would recommend the virtual elective to other URIM students. Only one of eight (12.5%) responded that they had been "extremely likely" to rank our residency program highly prior to the elective, compared to all eight (100%) after completing the elective. Six of eight respondents (75%) felt participating in the virtual elective increased their sense of belonging when starting residency, and six of eight (75%) felt the elective made it easier for them to find mentorship during residency.  Conclusion An innovative virtual immersion of URIM students into a residency program through a two-week virtual elective was associated with increasing URIM match results and yielded high value to students both during the elective and as they entered residency. Virtual electives may help engage students unable to complete visiting rotations and promote equity, aid in recruitment, and improve the sense of belonging in residents.