TOTBV-07: HIJAB IN THE OPERATING ROOM
Deena Kishawi, BS; Stritch School of Medicine - Loyola University Chicago

What problem in education is addressed by this work?:
The common practice of sterile attire in American ORs creates a perceived barrier to some trainees - preventing or dissuading them from considering surgical career paths. In particular, hijab-wearing women have difficulty finding ways to conform to traditional OR attire while still observing the clothing restrictions required by their Islamic faith. Many hijab-wearing students say that they feel their religious attire is a barrier that has led to them having to choose between respecting their faith or pursuing their dreams of a surgical career.

Describe the intervention:
Hijab-wearing women can easily conform to OR protocols while maintaining their religious attire, although it requires additional resources that are not always immediately accessible to them. This presentation provides insight into these unseen barriers and the effects they have on trainees, as well as resources for hospitals, residency programs, surgical clerkships, and medical schools so that they can be well equipped to adapt to the religious specific accommodations of trainees and healthcare professionals in the operating room. Educating and informing the necessary personnel about the simple accommodations can remove barriers that have traditionally dissuaded hijab-wearing women from pursuing careers in surgery and can potentially increase the pool of these physicians in surgery and surgical specialties.

Describe how this intervention could be applied at other institutions. Please specifically comment on identified barriers that could exist and how they could be overcome:
All institutions can easily make the accommodations for hijab-wearing women in their ORs, thereby removing unseen barriers to pursuing careers in surgery. A handout will be provided that can be taken back to other institutions to educate and inform on the simple steps needed to minimize these barriers and change the culture of the institution, including the types of acceptable hijab covers and where they should be located, as well as appropriate planning for arm and skin coverage before and after scrubbing into operations. Additional online resources will be shared as well that can be accessed by all individuals to obtain further information on the research behind this effort.