Second, the term has a negative connotation. Maybe it’s the simple presence of the word “under”; the physical representation of the phrase implies one is beneath or lower than something or someone (or everything and everyone) else.
Recently, in medicine, the URiM has been introduced - UnderRepresented in Medicine. I suppose that takes care of the first point above, but still, the linguistics of the second lingers.
In orthopedic surgery, specifically, representation is an enormous problem - we are the least diverse sub-speciality of medicine. So perhaps we should switch the field here and talk about the OverRepresentation in Orthopedic Surgery (ORiO?) - what makes the field overwhelmingly white and male, instead of where are all the URMs/URiMs/URiO?
What have white men been doing so well to entice other white men into orthopedics? What can I learn? How can I make them allies? How can they help?
As a white woman in orthopedic surgery, I have a foot in both worlds, to an extent. I have the privilege that many others do not, yet I am still not the majority in the field. So I am using my power of privilege for good and my incredible journey to orthopedic surgery to guide others toward the same.
Author: Christen Russo, MD FAAOS FAOA May 4, 2023
