NI VIII JEDI: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will be an eighteen-month initiative that features monthly teleconferences or webinars and four meetings. Monthly cohort teleconference groups will be structured by themes based on focus areas identified in the applications, with best practices from all cohort groups shared at the meetings. Learning session topics will include discussions of diversity and inclusion in healthcare; strategies to counteract unconscious bias; and the importance of fostering an inclusive environment.
The AIAMC’s fourteen years of experience with seven successful National Initiatives provides a rich and unique resource to the CLE community. We have engaged numerous key leaders, including the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), American Hospital Association (AHA), American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and look forward to their continued input and support. The AIAMC is also an inaugural member of the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE), facilitated by the ACGME and represented by more than 30 major health care organizations working to improve the educational experience and patient care outcomes within clinical learning environments.
WHY JEDI?
Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are more than words, more than ideals, and more than the attainment of a particular quantifiable goal . They embody the realization of difference and of inequity and understanding of power and privilege . Inclusion is at the foundation of effective interdisciplinary care and, with diversity, core to excellence. Participants in NI VIII will be equipped to measure JEDI in their learning environments; develop strategies to address inequities and advance diversity; and help their organizations perform better as they will become more innovative and quicker to problem-solve. Workforce diversity as a means to eliminate health disparities is well-documented in the literature3 4, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) updated the Common Program Requirements in July 2019 to reflect the urgency for a systematic recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce.
The AIAMC National Initiative (NI) is the only national and multi-institutional collaborative of its kind in which residents have led multidisciplinary teams in quality improvement projects aligned to their institution’s strategic goals. Sixty-seven hospitals and health systems and more than 1,200 individuals have participated in the AIAMC National Initiatives since 2007 driving change that has resulted in meaningful and sustainable outcomes improving the quality and safety of patient care. Projects of participating institutions must align with that institution’s strategic goals, and engagement of the C-Suite and a multidisciplinary team is required. For more information on each National Initiative’s area of focus and academic publications, visit https://aiamc.org/national-initiative.