315 Diversity at the Heart of the Specialty: A National Initiative for Widening Participation in Cardiothoracic Surgery

Abstract Aim Students from widening participation (WP) backgrounds are less likely to apply for and obtain places to study medicine (1). This compromises the long-term diversity of the applicant pool for cardiothoracic surgery (CTS). It is well established that patient care is adversely affected by a lack of diversity within healthcare professionals. As such, this national initiative set out to promote CTS amongst senior school students in the UK, with a focus upon those from WP backgrounds. Method Students were invited via the Medical Schools Council to six online lectures and were invited to submit a competitive application to undertake work experience within a CTS unit. Twelve students were selected to participate in a clinical placement and were provided with an online, interactive coaching resource to aid cross-centre standardisation of experience. All attendees were invited to complete electronic questionnaires before and after their experiences. Results 482 students attended lectures, with 100% providing feedback afterward. Attendees were most frequently female (77%), from ethnic minority groups (80%) and WP backgrounds (42%). Perceived barriers to pursuing this career included inability to gain work experience (71%), financial restrictions (45%) and lack of application mentoring (41%). 100% of students recommend the work experience scheme as helpful. Students reported improved confidence with the hospital environment, the role of a doctor and the specialty. All were more likely to consider a career in surgery following this exposure. Conclusions Low-cost interventions utilising pre-existing cardiothoracic surgical networks can successfully engage a large, diverse population of students who feel restricted from accessing our specialty.