Abstract

Background. Dermatology residency programs are relatively diverse in their resident selection process. The authors investigated the importance of 25 dermatology residency selection criteria focusing on differences in program directors' (PDs') perception based on specific program demographics. Methods. This cross-sectional nationwide observational survey utilized a 41-item questionnaire that was developed by literature search, brainstorming sessions, and online expert reviews. The data were analyzed utilizing the reliability test, two-step clustering, and K-means methods as well as other methods. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in PDs' perception regarding the importance of the selection criteria based on program demographics. Results. Ninety-five out of 114 PDs (83.3%) responded to the survey. The top five criteria for dermatology residency selection were interview, letters of recommendation, United States Medical Licensing Examination Step I scores, medical school transcripts, and clinical rotations. The following criteria were preferentially ranked based on different program characteristics: “advanced degrees,” “interest in academics,” “reputation of undergraduate and medical school,” “prior unsuccessful attempts to match,” and “number of publications.” Conclusions. Our survey provides up-to-date factual data on dermatology PDs' perception in this regard. Dermatology residency programs may find the reported data useful in further optimizing their residency selection process.

Highlights

  • The dermatology residency application process is a highly competitive and daunting endeavor

  • We investigated the relative importance of 25 residency selection criteria among program directors’ (PDs) of dermatology programs in the United States

  • We explored the relative importance of the following factors in residency selection: source or content of letters of recommendation (LOR), the nature of a publication/presentation, and the field of research/ publication

Read more

Summary

Introduction

The dermatology residency application process is a highly competitive and daunting endeavor. The literature in assessing different attributes of the dermatology programs as well as its correlation with residency selection process is lacking. We investigated the relative importance of 25 residency selection criteria among PDs of dermatology programs in the United States. This included an assessment of PDs’ perception concerning completion of a fellowship (basic science or clinical) prior to residency training. The authors investigated the importance of 25 dermatology residency selection criteria focusing on differences in program directors’ (PDs’) perception based on specific program demographics. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in PDs’ perception regarding the importance of the selection criteria based on program demographics. Dermatology residency programs may find the reported data useful in further optimizing their residency selection process

Objectives
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call