Residency Application Process Research Articles

Can't Buy Me Love? The Use of Gifts in the Residency Application Process.

To set themselves apart, some programs use gifts or promotional items to highlight the residency program or unique local culture. The distinction between advertisement and persuasion may be blurry in this case. We sought to quantify the prevalence of gifts to applicants and how frequently the US federal threshold for "nominal gifts" was exceeded. We reviewed a publicly accessible, Internet resource called the "ERAS Megathread." This is a Google spreadsheet found on Reddit where applicants participating in The Match can anonymously contribute information about their experience. The incidence of "gifts" was quantified for surgical residency programs, along with the nominal value if indicated. The spreadsheets were reviewed for 2021, 2022, and 2023. Over the past 3 application cycles, 15.1% [11.1%-18.2%] of general surgery residency programs provided a gift to applicants. Of these programs, the majority (70.2%) are university-based programs. In 2023, 57.9% of these gifts exceeded US$20. Given the anonymous nature of the data set, and the lack of transparency in the match process, it was not possible to correlate gift giving with its effect on recruitment. Students are courted by residency programs, and a significant minority of programs provide a gift to applicants. The impact of a substantial gift on a financially vulnerable student is difficult to quantify. It behooves us as a specialty to determine what should be a universal standard and to consider outlining explicit guidelines for The Match.

Elevating equity: advancing diversity and inclusivity through trialing bias reduction tools in the general internal medicine program resident application process.

Decades of medical data show worse patient outcomes among racial and gender minorities due to implicit, explicit, and structural biases. Increasing representation of marginalized groups among care providers is imperative to help address this. Limited literature exists on bias awareness strategies for interviewers during the selection of applicants to General Internal Medicine (GIM) programs in Canada. This study examines the trial of bias reduction tools to increase interviewers' awareness of implicit biases. The Model of Improvement framework guided the trail of an instructional video, the adapted implicit association test (IAT), and a paper awareness tool (PAT) to increase interviewers' awareness of implicit biases during the University of Alberta's GIM applicant selection. An anonymous online survey was disseminated to physician interviewers. Descriptive statistics (percentages) and a modified sentiment analysis was completed. 10 of 14 interviewers completed the survey. Respondents reported an increased awareness of using bias reduction tools (IAT, 25%; video, 71%; PAT, 67%) to inform them on their implicit biases. The future use of IAT, video, and PAT was supported by 50%, 71%, and 67% of interviewers, respectively. Interviewers prefer the instructional video and PAT over the IAT. Textual responses suggest existing concerns for biases inherent to the interview process yet 70% (7/10) of respondents believe that interviews should have a weighting of 50% towards final ranking of candidates. As many institutions continue to rely on interviews to evaluate candidates, our findings indicate the need for a national study to develop a framework to mitigate inherent biases during interviewing of candidates.

Opportunities to Improve Communication With Residency Applicants: Cross-Sectional Study of Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program Websites.

As part of the residency application process in the United States, many medical specialties now offer applicants the opportunity to send program signals that indicate high interest to a limited number of residency programs. To determine which residency programs to apply to, and which programs to send signals to, applicants need accurate information to determine which programs align with their future training goals. Most applicants use a program's website to review program characteristics and criteria, so describing the current state of residency program websites can inform programs of best practices. This study aims to characterize information available on obstetrics and gynecology residency program websites and to determine whether there are differences in information available between different types of residency programs. This was a cross-sectional observational study of all US obstetrics and gynecology residency program website content. The authorship group identified factors that would be useful for residency applicants around program demographics and learner trajectories; application criteria including standardized testing metrics, residency statistics, and benefits; and diversity, equity, and inclusion mission statements and values. Two authors examined all available websites from November 2011 through March 2022. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA, with P<.05 considered significant. Among 290 programs, 283 (97.6%) had websites; 238 (82.1%) listed medical schools of current residents; 158 (54.5%) described residency alumni trajectories; 107 (36.9%) included guidance related to the preferred United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scores; 53 (18.3%) included guidance related to the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination Level 1 scores; 185 (63.8%) included international applicant guidance; 132 (45.5%) included a program-specific mission statement; 84 (29%) included a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement; and 167 (57.6%) included program-specific media or links to program social media on their websites. University-based programs were more likely to include a variety of information compared to community-based university-affiliated and community-based programs, including medical schools of current residents (113/123, 91.9%, university-based; 85/111, 76.6%, community-based university-affiliated; 40/56, 71.4%, community-based; P<.001); alumni trajectories (90/123, 73.2%, university-based; 51/111, 45.9%, community-based university-affiliated; 17/56, 30.4%, community-based; P<.001); the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 score guidance (58/123, 47.2%, university-based; 36/111, 32.4%, community-based university-affiliated; 13/56, 23.2%, community-based; P=.004); and diversity, equity, and inclusion statements (57/123, 46.3%, university-based; 19/111, 17.1%, community-based university-affiliated; 8/56, 14.3%, community-based; P<.001). There are opportunities to improve the quantity and quality of data on residency websites. From this work, we propose best practices for what information should be included on residency websites that will enable applicants to make informed decisions.

The Effect of Implicit Bias on the OB/GYN Residency Application Process.

Background Medical students from racially minoritized backgrounds receive negative evaluations more frequently, possibly from implicit bias. Objective To determine if a preference for White applicants over Asian and Black applicants exists among resident and attending reviewers of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residency applications. Methods In 2021, we sampled academic OB/GYN physicians from 6 academic institutions to randomly receive questionnaire form A or B, each containing 4 contrived Electronic Residency Application Service profiles stratified by United States Medical Licensing Examination scores; institutions attended; and strength of recommendation letters into top-, mid-, and low-tiers. Form A applicants were White top-tier, White mid-tier without resilience, Asian mid-tier with resilience, and White low-tier. Form B applicants were Black top-tier, Asian mid-tier without resilience, White mid-tier with resilience, and White low-tier applicants. Both questionnaires' profiles were identical except for applicants' names and races. The primary outcome was participants' rankings of applicants from most to least desirable. Baseline characteristics of participants were compared with chi-square tests. Rankings were compared using generalized estimating equations to calculate the odds ratio (significance P<.05). Results One hundred and ninety-one were invited to participate; 109 participants started the questionnaire, and 103 ranked applicants (response rate 54%). Fifty-three participants completed form A, and 56 completed form B. No significant differences were found in participants' demographics. Participants frequently ranked White applicants significantly more highly than Black applicants (-3.3, 95% CI -3.5, -3.1) and Asian applicants (-3.3, 95% CI -3.5, -3.1). Conclusions Despite identical qualifications, a stronger preference for White applicants over Black or Asian applicants was found.

Preference Signals and Interview Invitations: Insight Into Recent Updates to the Oto-HNS Residency Application Process.

While students in the 2023 Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Oto-HNS) residency match were allowed 7 preference signals, this number increased to 25 for the 2024 match with the goal of reducing the overall application volume. We sought to understand the impact of this change to application volume and interview patterns. Cross-sectional survey. Program directors of US Oto-HNS residency programs were invited to participate in an anonymous, electronic survey. An anonymous REDCap questionnaire was sent via email to all current Oto-HNS program directors in January 2024. Data were analyzed using R Version 4.3.1. Forty-four program directors completed the survey. While programs received a median [interquartile range] of 400 [363, 445] applications last year, this year they reported receiving 295 [233, 339] applications of which a median of 110 applicants (40%) signaled the program. While the median percent of applicants who were interviewed by a program was 16%, the percent of interviews among applicants who had signaled the program was 37%. Of all interviews, nearly all (median 100% [91, 100]) were of applicants who had signaled the program. Finally, 40 (91%) of program directors reported that signaling played an important role in deciding to interview a candidate. Preference signals play an important role in a residency program's decision to interview a candidate. Our findings suggest that the implementation of preference signals successfully decreased the average number of applications received by each program and that medical students applying to more programs than available signals may experience diminishing returns.

Program Signaling and Geographic Preferences in the United States Residency Match for Neurosurgery.

Postgraduateresidency training has long been the cornerstone of academic medicine in the United States. The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), managed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), is the central residency application platform in the United States for most clinical specialties, with the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) being the algorithm for matching residency programs with applicants. However, the determination of the best fit between ERAS applicants and programs has been increasingly challenged by the rising number of applicants per residency spot. This application overburdening across competitive specialties led to several adverse downstream effects, which affected all stakeholders. While several changes and proposals were made to rectify the issue of application overburdening, the 2020-2021 ERAS Match Cycle finally saw several competitive specialties, including otolaryngology and urology, utilize a new system of supplemental residency application based on preference signals/tokens. These tokens permit applicants to electronically signal a selectnumber of programs in a specialty of choice, with the program reviewing the application now cognizant that they have been signaled, i.e., the applicant has chosen to use up a limited set of signals for their program. Initial results from otolaryngology and urology, as described in this article, indicated the value of this new system to both applicants and educators. Given the favorable outcomes and broader uptake of the system among other specialties, the field of neurosurgery adopted the utilization of the ERAS-based program signalingand geographic preferencefor the first time for the 2022-2023 Residency Application Cycle and later opted to continue them for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 cycles. For the 2024-2025 Match Cycle, neurosurgery applicants have 25 signals, i.e., a "high-signal" approach, where non-signaled programs have alow interview conversion rate. This literature review discusses the rationale behind the change, the outcomes of other competitive specialties from prior cycles, the evolving nature of the change, and the potential impact on applicants and programs. As we describe in this review, signaling may potentially represent a surrogate form of an application cap.Other considerations relate to cost savings for both applicants and programs from a high-signal approach in neurosurgery. These modifications represent a foundational attempt to alleviate the application overburdening and non-holistic review in the residency application process, including for neurosurgery. While these changes have been a welcomed addition for all stakeholders in residency match cycles so far, further prospectively directed surveys along with qualitative research studies are warranted to better delineate the downstream impact of these changes and guide further optimization of the application system.

Beyond boundaries: An exploration of general surgery education in Canada and India

ABSTRACT General surgery is a dynamic and multifaceted field influenced by diverse factors, ranging from cultural norms to healthcare system structures and technological advancements. This review paper delves into a comparative exploration of the educational landscapes in Canada and India, unravelling the intricacies of training aspiring general surgeons. As two nations with distinct healthcare systems and educational frameworks, Canada and India offer unique perspectives on the journey from medical school to independent surgical practice. This article compares the residency application process, training structure, assessment methods, challenges faced during clinical training and the role of research in surgical programmes between the two nations. Through this comparative lens, we seek to provide valuable insights that may inform future developments in surgical education, fostering a global exchange of knowledge and practices to advance healthcare systems worldwide.

The Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarships for Acting Interns on the Diversity of Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs

Background Improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in orthopaedic surgery is a priority as statistics continue to demonstrate it as the least diverse surgical subspecialty. DEI scholarships for Acting Interns have been recently developed to recruit more diverse candidates. Objective To determine the impact of DEI scholarships on the orthopaedic surgery residency application process. Design An anonymous survey was distributed to program directors at ACGME accredited orthopaedic residencies that offered DEI scholarships for visiting medical students. The survey inquired about factors involved in scholarship implementation, source of funding, number of scholarship applications received, factors considered in selecting recipients, number of DEI scholarships awarded, program results in the 2023 Match, demographics of incoming first-year residents, and program directors’ observations following implementation. Results Of the 49 programs with known DEI scholarships, 16 (32.7%) completed the survey. During the 2023 Match cycle, respondents matched an average of 5 residents (SD 0.5, Range 3 – 8) consisting of 36.7% female (SD 31.7%, Range 0 – 100%) and 36.9 (SD 28.2%, Range 0 – 100%) underrepresented minority (URM) residents. Following scholarship implementation, most program directors (56.2%) observed a rise in URM student rotators with an associated 18.8% increase in the number of URM residents. Additionally, 18.8% of programs claimed that scholarship recipients either matched at their program or another orthopaedic residency program. Respondents reported that 68.8% (SD 41.5%, Range 0 – 100%) of scholarship recipients received an invitation to interview at the awarding program. Of the three programs (18.8%) that claimed recipients matched at their program, two (13.3%) reported they matched one DEI scholar, while the other (6.7%) stated that five DEI scholars matched into their program. Conclusion DEI scholarships may be an effective strategy for promoting diversity in orthopaedics. However, longitudinal data and increased institutional GME funding are required to increase the proportion of orthopaedic residency programs that offer these scholarships for visiting students.

Can ChatGPT Fool the Match? Artificial Intelligence Personal Statements for Plastic Surgery Residency Applications: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Personal statements can be decisive in Canadian residency applications. With the rise in AI technology, ethical concerns regarding authenticity and originality become more pressing. This study explores the capability of ChatGPT in producing personal statements for plastic surgery residency that match the quality of statements written by successful applicants. Methods: ChatGPT was utilized to generate a cohort of personal statements for CaRMS (Canadian Residency Matching Service) to compare with previously successful Plastic Surgery applications. Each AI-generated and human-written statement was randomized and anonymized prior to assessment. Two retired members of the plastic surgery residency selection committee from the University of British Columbia, evaluated these on a 0 to 10 scale and provided a binary response judging whether each statement was AI or human written. Statistical analysis included Welch 2-sample t tests and Cohen's Kappa for agreement. Results: Twenty-two personal statements (11 AI-generated by ChatGPT and 11 human-written) were evaluated. The overall mean scores were 7.48 (SD 0.932) and 7.68 (SD 0.716), respectively, with no significant difference between AI and human groups ( P = .4129). The average accuracy in distinguishing between human and AI letters was 65.9%. The Cohen's Kappa value was 0.374. Conclusions: ChatGPT can generate personal statements for plastic surgery residency applications with quality indistinguishable from human-written counterparts, as evidenced by the lack of significant scoring difference and moderate accuracy in discrimination by experienced surgeons. These findings highlight the evolving role of AI and the need for updated evaluative criteria or guidelines in the residency application process.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Geographic Placement of Applicants to General Surgery Residency Programs

COVID-19 greatly influenced medical education and the residency match. As new guidelines were established to promote safety, travel was restricted, visiting rotations discontinued, and residency interviews turned virtual. The purpose of this study is to assess the geographic trends in distribution of successfully matched General Surgery applicants prior to and after the implementation of pandemic guidelines, and what we can learn from them as we move forward. This was a retrospective review of 129 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited, academic General Surgery Residency Programs across 46 states and the District of Columbia. Categorically matched residents' medical schools (i.e., home institutions), medical school states, and medical school regions as defined per the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), were compared to the same geographic datapoints as their residency program. Preliminary residents were excluded. Residents in the 2018, 2019, and 2020 cycles were sub-categorized into the "pre-COVID" group and residents in the 2021 and 2022 applications cycles were sub-categorized into the "post-COVID" group. The percentages of residents who matched at their home institution, in-state, and in-region were examined. Multiple ACGME-accredited, university-affiliated General Surgery Residency Programs across the United States of America. A total of 4033 categorical General Surgery residents were included. Of 4033 categorical residents who matched between 2018 and 2022, 56.1% (n = 2,263) were in the pre-COVID group and 43.9% (n = 1770) were in the post-COVID group. In the pre-COVID group 14.4% (n = 325) of residents remained in-home (IH), 24.4% (n = 553) in-state (IS), and 37.0% (n = 837) in- region (IR), compared to 18.8% IH (n = 333), 27.8% IS (n = 492), and 39.9% IR (n = 706) in the post-COVID group, respectively. Significant increases for IH and IS resident matching at 4.5% and 3.4%, respectively, were noted in the post-COVID period (p < 0.05). The COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing changes adopted to promote safety, significantly impacted medical student opportunities and the General Surgery residency application process. General Surgery match data over the last 5 years reveals a statistically significant increase in the percentage of applicants matching at in-home and in-state institutions after the pandemic.

Evaluating the Factors Influencing Residency Match for Surgical Specialty Applicants and Programs: Challenges and Future Directions.

We aim to evaluate the impact of recent changes in the residency matching process on surgical specialties' applicants and programs to offer recommendations on residency selection and matching processes. We utilized five databases while employing a Boolean query to search for studies from 2015 to March 2024. The search selection focused on factors and recent changes influencing residency match results across surgical specialties, including USMLE Step 1 pass/fail, research productivity, interview structure, and preference and geographic signaling. The shift of the USMLE Step 1 to a pass/fail scoring system revealed a consensus among surgical program directors (PDs) and applicants not in favor of the change due to the emphasis on additional application elements. Research productivity was identified as a significant factor, especially in neurosurgery (with an average of 18.3 publications per applicant) and vascular surgery (8.3 publications), indicating a positive correlation between the number of publications and match outcomes. The adoption of virtual interviews has been well-received by both applicants and PDs, leading to an increase in the number of interviews offered and applicants. The implementation of preference and geographic signaling mechanisms has improved interview rates for applicants who utilize them. The transition to a pass/fail USMLE Step 1 has raised concerns among surgical specialties, necessitating a greater focus on Step 2 scores and research productivity. Virtual interviews and signaling have improved the accessibility and reach of the residency application process, however, the full impact of these changes on the perception of applicant-program fit remains unclear.

Perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residency training in American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia programs in North America: a quantitative survey

ObjectiveTo characterize the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aspects of the anesthesia residency experience from the perspective of American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) mentors and trainees. This includes the residency interview process, didactic training and availability and variety of clinical cases for resident learning. Study designCross-sectional, online, anonymous voluntary survey. Sample populationA total of 58 respondents, representing 30 residency program mentors and 28 residents. MethodsSurveys were distributed by email to 94 residency program mentors and 70 residents, representing programs and residents registered with the ACVAA during the years of 2019–2021. Anonymous links to an online survey were provided via a link embedded in the email. Questions included perceived impacts (–5 to +5 scale) on didactic and clinical training, case distribution, workload, residency application and selection process, and mental health. Responses were summarized with descriptive statistics [median (IQR) or mean ± SD]. ResultsThe overall survey response rate was 31.9% (30/94) and 40.0% (28/70) for resident program mentors and residents, respectively. There was a negative perceived impact on overall residency training reported: –1.0 (IQR –2.0 to 0) for program mentors and –1.5 ± 1.5 for residents. The reported perceived impact of travel limitations on case log completion was –2.0 (IQR –4.0 to –1.0) for program mentors and –2.4 ± 2.0 for residents. Program mentors and residents had incongruent feelings on the impact of the pandemic on work hours, with residents reporting a perceived increase in work hours [+2.1 ± 2.1 versus 0 (IQR –1.0 to 0)]. ConclusionsResidency program mentors and residents generally agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted multiple aspects of residency interview and training process. A broader, objective analysis of veterinary anesthesia training programs is required to fully elucidate the scale of the impact on veterinary anesthesia training.

Use of Signaling in Family Medicine Residency Interviewing.

Although signals have been used in the residency application process by other specialties, family medicine residency directors have not previously participated. With applicant signal information available for the first time in the 2023-2024 application cycle, the current study describes family medicine residency program directors' intended use of signals and provides benchmarking descriptive data that may help inform best practices and future studies. A total of 691 of the 745 family medicine program directors in US family medicine residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were surveyed. We used ꭓ2 and Pearson correlation analyses to examine how program directors of family medicine residency programs intended to use signaling and their perceived impact of signaling on the residency interviewing process. Most program directors indicated that applicant signals would assist them in deciding who to invite for an interview and would be a positive factor in a holistic review process. However, program directors also noted that rotation experience or geographic ties would be more powerful inducements to interview or rank a specific candidate. Program directors did not indicate a belief that signals would decrease interview season stress or workload. Signals may play an important role in the residency application process for family medicine in 2023-2024. While signals are not anticipated to decrease application workload or stress, a signal may be an important mechanism for a specific applicant to distinguish themselves with a program.

Dear Program Director: An Evaluation of Implicit Bias in Letters of Recommendation for Neurosurgery Residency.

Despite comprising half of medical students, women represent only 29.6% of neurosurgery applicants and 17% of residents, suggesting a "leak" in the career pipeline for women neurosurgeons. Surveys persistently show that neurosurgery programs identify United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE®) Step 1 score and letters of recommendation (LORs) as the most important factors in selecting applicants to interview. A previous study in neurosurgery found no differences in LORs. However, multiple studies in other specialties have demonstrated implicit gender bias in LORs, which may influence resident selection. Our objective is to evaluate neurosurgery residency LORs for evidence of implicit gender bias. Retrospective analysis of LORs for interviewed neurosurgery applicants at a single institution during the 2014 to 2020 National Residency Matching Program (NRMP®) match cycles. Letters were evaluated using Linguistic Inquiry & Word Count (LIWC) software (Pennebaker Conglomerates), and additional applicant data were obtained from candidate applications. LIWC (Pennebaker Conglomerates) output data included custom dictionary categories and terms that were analyzed using Prism 10 and Rstudio. Two hundred eighteen applications were reviewed for a total of 827 letters. LIWC (Pennebaker Conglomerates) analysis showed significant differences in word count (331 vs 297, difference = 34, 95% CI: 9-61, P = .008). LORs for applicants who were men were more likely to mention Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (1.17 vs 0.778, difference = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.13-0.67, P = .023). USMLE® Step 1 scores were significantly lower for women (241 vs 247, difference = 6, 95% CI: 2-10, P = .004). There was no significant difference between letters for men and women for all categories evaluated in the linguistic evaluation. LORs are vital to the neurosurgical residency application process. The data exhibit some differences between the men and women applicants but few differences in their LORs, consistent with the results of the previous neurosurgical study.

Trends and Predictors of Cost in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Application Process [ID 2683644

INTRODUCTION: Travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic required residency programs to transition from an in-person to virtual interview process. Obtaining an obstetrics and gynecology residency position is known to be competitive and places a considerable financial burden on applicants. This study aims to quantify the total costs in the application process before and after virtual interviews were implemented. METHODS: The Texas STAR database was queried to identify obstetrics and gynecology residency applicants from 2019 to 2023. The primary outcome was applicant-reported spending on the residency application process. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to evaluate for associations with sociodemographic, temporal, and geographic factors. RESULTS: A total of 2,315 obstetrics and gynecology applicants were included. Applicants reported significantly less average total spending on the residency application process after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the years prior ($2,515 [SD 2,055] versus $4,909 [SD 2,869]; P&lt;.001). Applicants who identified as underrepresented in medicine (P=.022), had a DO degree (P&lt;.001), completed a research year (P=.030), participated in the couples match (P&lt;.001), or were from the Western region (P&lt;.001) reported significantly more total spending. There was a significant positive correlation between total non-interview-related spending and the number of interviews received (P&lt;.001). CONCLUSION: There was a significant reduction in applicant spending after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, likely related to transition to virtual interviews and limitations on in-person away rotations. The association of applicant spending with the number of interview offers raises concern for possible equity implications.

Virtual Interviews: The Format of the Future [ID 2683645

INTRODUCTION: Residency interviews have transitioned from an in-person to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual interviews have helped applicants reduce spending costs, time, and greenhouse gas emissions related to travel. This study aims to assess the preferences of obstetrics and gynecology applicants in continuing a virtual format for residency interviews. METHODS: The Texas STAR database was queried for obstetrics and gynecology applicants who responded to “I would be in favor of continuing virtual interviews going forward” on a 5-item Likert scale from 2021 to 2023. Descriptive statistics (chi-square and ANOVA) were used to evaluate trends in responses over time and associations with applicant characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 1,348 obstetrics and gynecology applicants responded to the survey, among whom 924 (68.5%) agreed or strongly agreed that they would favor continuation of virtual interviews. The percentage of applicants who favored virtual interviews significantly increased each year (55.1% in 2021, 68.7% in 2022, and 81.1% in 2023; P&lt;.001). Applicants who reported higher total spending on the residency application process were more likely to favor virtual interviews (mean [SD]: $2,637 [2,243] versus $2,240 [1,550]; P=.001). There were no significant differences in sex, race, or geographic region in applicants who favored virtual interviews compared to those who did not favor or were undecided. CONCLUSION: The majority of obstetrics and gynecology applicants favor continuation of virtual interviews, and this trend has been increasing each year. There do not appear to be any sociodemographic differences between applicants who do and do not favor virtual interviews.

Effect of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health on Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Applicants [ID 2683390

INTRODUCTION: Abortion restrictions affect not only provision of abortion care but also experience for trainees. Data from the 2023 match showed a decrease in obstetrics and gynecology residency applications in restrictive states. Our national survey of medical students applying to obstetrics and gynecology residency sought to assess the effects of the Dobbs decision on their application process. METHODS: Medical students who applied to obstetrics and gynecology residency for the 2023 match were surveyed via an electronic questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used. Institutional review board waiver was granted. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-eight students, from 39 different states, completed the survey. The average age was 27.8 years, and the majority identified as women (89%) and White (80.9%). The majority (72.7%) of respondents reported that the Dobbs decision influenced which residency programs they applied to, and of those, 96.9% report that they applied to programs in states with fewer abortion restrictions. Similarly, 66.5% reported that the decision influenced their rank list, and of those, 98.3% report they ranked programs in states that are less restrictive on abortion services higher. CONCLUSION: Access to abortion training was identified as important to a majority of survey respondents. Students reported applying to states with less abortion restrictions and that access to abortion training influenced their rank list. Prior studies have surveyed third- and fourth-year students about predicted effects of the Dobbs decision on residency applications. This is the first to assess perspectives among students who completed the residency application process.

Assessment of Gender Differences in Letters of Recommendation for Physical Therapy Residency Applications.

Letters of recommendation (LOR) are an integral component of physical therapy residency applications. Identifying the influence of applicant and writer gender in LOR will help identify whether potential implicit gender bias exists in physical therapy residency application processes. Several medical and surgical residency education programs have reported positive, neutral, or negative LOR female gender bias among applicants and writers. Little research exists on gender differences in LOR to physical therapy education programs or physical therapy residency programs. Seven hundred sixty-eight LOR were analyzed from 256 applications to 3 physical therapy residency programs (neurologic, orthopaedic, sports) at one institution from 2014 to 2020. Thematic categories were developed to identify themes in a sample of LOR. Associations between writer and applicant gender were analyzed using summary statistics, word counts, thematic and psycholinguistic extraction, and rule-based and deep learning Natural Language Processing . No significant difference in LOR word counts were found based on writer or applicant gender. Increased word counts were seen in sports residency LOR compared with the orthopaedic residency. Thematic analysis showed LOR gender differences with male applicants receiving more positive generalized recommendations and female applicants receiving more comments regarding interpersonal relationship skills. No thematic or psycholinguistic gender differences were seen by LOR writer. Male applicants were 1.9 times more likely to select all male LOR writers, whereas female applicants were 2.1 times more likely to choose all female LOR writers. Gender differences in LORs for physical therapy residencies were found using a comprehensive Natural Language Processing approach that identified both a positive recommendation male applicant gender bias and a positive interpersonal relationship skill female applicant gender bias. Applicants were not harmed nor helped by selecting LOR writers of the opposite gender. Admissions committees and LOR writers should be mindful of potential implicit gender biases in LOR submitted to physical therapy residency programs.

Machine Learning for Predictive Analysis of Otolaryngology Residency Letters of Recommendation.

Letters of recommendation (LORs) are a highly influential yet subjective and often enigmatic aspect of the residency application process. This study hypothesizes that LORs do contain valuable insights into applicants and can be used to predict outcomes. This pilot study utilizes natural language processing and machine learning (ML) models using LOR text to predict interview invitations for otolaryngology residency applicants. A total of 1642 LORs from the 2022-2023 application cycle were retrospectively retrieved from a single institution. LORs were preprocessed and vectorized using three different techniques to represent the text in a way that an ML model can understand written prose: CountVectorizer (CV), Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF), and Word2Vec (WV). Then, the LORs were trained and tested on five ML models: Logistic Regression (LR), Naive Bayes (NB), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Of the 337 applicants, 67 were interviewed and 270 were not interviewed. In total, 1642 LORs (26.7% interviewed) were analyzed. The two best-performing ML models in predicting interview invitations were the TF-IDF vectorized DT and CV vectorized DT models. This preliminary study revealed that ML models and vectorization combinations can provide better-than-chance predictions for interview invitations for otolaryngology residency applicants. The high-performing ML models were able to classify meaningful information from the LORs to predict applicant interview invitation. The potential of an automated process to help predict an applicant's likelihood of obtaining an interview invitation could be a valuable tool for training programs in the future. N/A Laryngoscope, 134:4016-4022, 2024.

Implementing a Neurology Mentorship Program to Ease Residency Application Process (P1-7.008)

Implementing a Neurology Mentorship Program to Ease Residency Application Process (P1-7.008)