J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 125(6): 522-526, 2024

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Feature topic

CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE OF PEDIATRIC CARDIAC SURGERY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF DIVERSITY

The keys for ensuring the sustainability of pediatric cardiac surgery are: fulfillment; work environment; compensation; psychological safety; diversity; and work–life balance. However, none of these (except for fulfillment) are fully established. Regarding compensation, shortages of surgical faculty members with discretionary work schedules may occur in the future. Perceived risks not commensurate with rewards, increasing research and education-related rules, responsibilities, and quotas, plus numerous other hurdles, may weaken the attractiveness of academia to youth. It is also crucial to establish the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within organizational culture. Ensuring psychological safety, the foundation of DEI, is essential for surgical teams, as it improves organizational performance, reduces stress, and retains personnel. Diverse work styles related to childbirth and care are not new but, in order to be fully accepted by society, it is also important that seekers of diversity prepare for it. Simultaneously, managers must show their preparedness and ingenuity to accept diverse personnel and work styles by adopting “iku-boss” (childcare-friendly) declarations and other measures that emphasize work–life balance. By fitting in the missing pieces of society one by one, we hope to create an era in which the lives of pediatric cardiac surgeons can truly shine.

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