DEI Efforts Key to Radiologist Recruitment and Retention

“Diversity is not a dirty word,” said Sherry S. Wang, MBBS, FRANZCR, who spoke during a Wednesday afternoon panel discussion that focused on conquering workforce challenges. “Given the political and social climate, this word is charged with all sorts of connotations and labels—some of these are not so great.”

A senior associate consultant in the Department of Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, Dr. Wang said diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives can be leveraged to help recruit and retain radiologists and improve employee wellness in the current job market. She noted that practices should not hire for diversity’s sake but rather should hire for the essence of diversity. 

Belonging Matters

After hiring quality candidates, practices must focus on creating a quality culture to help with retention. “Equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging are part of culture, and therefore an inseparable part of wellness, and an integral part of retention,” Dr. Wang said. 

Dr. Wang said, regardless of their race, people who feel like they belong are three times more likely to look forward to coming to work; three times more likely to say their workplace is fun; and nine times more likely to believe people are treated fairly. They are also five times more likely to stay at their company for a long time.

She shared several elements that contribute to culture, including the importance of transparency, fairness and pay equity in fostering a culture of belonging. 

“Fairness directly ties in with equity, and promotions are your organization’s opportunity to demonstrate its values,” Dr. Wang said. “Create a fair and transparent promotions process and ensure everyone has equal advancement and promotion opportunities.” 

“If your leaders talk about the importance of women in leadership then keeps overlooking them for promotion, trust is then lost,” she added.

Fewer people leaving is an indication to future recruits that this is a place where people feel they belong. 

”At the end of the day, belonging is acknowledging that we are all different and unique in so many ways, and we should treat those differences with dignity,” Dr. Wang concluded.