About this episode
In this episode of the AOA's MSK Connect podcast, Dr Andrew Wines, AOA Second Vice-President, interviews Dr Jennifer Green and Dr Danielle Wadley on workforce diversity in orthopaedics.
What the AOA is
The Australian Orthopaedic Association is the professional body for orthopaedic surgeons in Australia. Most of its work sits outside the consulting room. It oversees the training programme through which surgeons qualify in orthopaedics, sets continuing professional development requirements for surgeons already in practice, runs the national registry that records joint replacements performed in Australia, and represents the specialty in dealings with government and the wider health system. A podcast series belongs to that educational role, and is aimed at surgeons, trainees and anyone else who follows the specialty.
What is discussed
The conversation covers the reported relationship between workforce diversity and outcomes, the importance of visible role models, allyship, and the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being run within the profession, including the biannual OWL workshops.
Orthopaedics has historically been among the less diverse surgical specialties in Australia, which is the context for much of this work.
Why a profession examines its own workforce
Becoming an orthopaedic surgeon in Australia takes a long time. After a medical degree come several years of general hospital and surgical experience, selection into the orthopaedic training programme, several further years of supervised registrar training rotating through hospital units, fellowship examinations, and commonly a subspecialty fellowship after that before independent practice. A pathway that long and that competitive is shaped by who applies in the first place, who is selected, and who is supported to stay. That is why a professional association looks at its intake and at retention rather than assuming the composition of the specialty will shift on its own. Visible role models and structured mentoring, both raised in this episode, are among the responses discussed.
Listen
The episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. New episodes are released on the second Friday of each month, with episode three due on Friday 17 January.