Fostering Interest in Musculoskeletal Research and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Careers: Impact of the ORS Open Door Program, 2020-2025.

Abstract

Early exposure to science is critical to cultivate the curiosity of secondary school students for STEM-based opportunities, particularly in orthopedics, where representation has historically lagged behind other specialties. The ORS Open Door program was developed by the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) to address this gap in the field by providing students with hands-on workshops, career presentations, and direct engagement with musculoskeletal (MSK) researchers from different disciplines, career stages, and backgrounds. The current study represents an analysis of a survey-based approach for assessing the impact of the ORS Open Door program on student attitudes toward diversity-, STEM-, and MSK research-related outcome measures. For context, we provide a brief history and overview of the steps involved in the inception, planning, support, organization, administration, and content programming of the annual ORS Open Door event as a toolkit for those interested in establishing educational outreach programs to the public. Our data, derived from three consecutive years of survey responses, support the positive impact of the ORS Open Door program in promoting participating students' enthusiasm and interests in STEM and MSK research, along with increasing their awareness of diversity in these spaces. The consistency of results across three consecutive years of survey data supports continuation and expansion of this initiative to broaden long-term participation in the scientific workforce. Our findings provide insights into future strategies for evolving ORS Open Door programming and identify potential avenues for tailoring towards grade-specific outreach and educational activities to better address disparities related to inadequate representation in the field of orthopedics.