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Roach JP, Derderian SC, Ketzer J, Benge M, Kaizer A, Bischoff A. The pediatric surgery match from the applicant perspective. J Pediatr Surg 2022; 57:589-591. [PMID: 35105454 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2022.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have examined characteristics critical to make a successful applicant in the pediatric surgery match. No previous study has focused on what applicants consider important as they interview pediatric surgery training programs. STUDY DESIGN Successfully matched applicants to our training program from 2018 to 2020 were identified and a 49-question survey sent electronically. In addition to a descriptive analysis of responses, comparisons between those who matched into one of their top three programs and those who matched outside of their top three programs were made. A Likert scale was used and data are reported as mean (95% confidence intervals). RESULTS One hundred and thirty individuals were surveyed. Sixty-three (48%) responded. The most important characteristics identified were total index case volume 1.94 (1.87, 2.00), interactions with faculty on the interview day 1.84 (1.74, 1.94), neonatal case volume 1.75 (1.61, 1.88) and degree of autonomy 1.63 (1.50, 1.77). Respondents also placed a high importance on the in-person interview experience 1.63 (1.49, 1.77). The least important training program characteristics were quantity of vacation time -0.24 (-0.52, 0.05), opportunity to participate in medical mission trips -0.25 (-0.54, 0.06), paid accommodation at the interview -0.29 (-0.57, 0.00), and access to a simulation laboratory -0.51 (-0.78, -0.24). CONCLUSION Clinical volume, neonatal volume, faulty interactions and the experience on the interview day are the most important characteristics to applicants. There were few, if any, characteristics applicants felt were truly unimportant as they weighed their rank lists. Applicants also placed a high level of importance on an in-person interview LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P Roach
- Children's Hospital Colorado, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
| | - S Christopher Derderian
- Children's Hospital Colorado, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Jill Ketzer
- Children's Hospital Colorado, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Michael Benge
- Children's Hospital Colorado, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Alexander Kaizer
- Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Andrea Bischoff
- Children's Hospital Colorado, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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Gupta S, Jackson JE, Shindorf ML, Arthur LG, Chandler N, Danielson P, Downard C, Ehrlich P, Gaines B, Gray B, Javid P, Lallier M, Nwomeh B, Tagge E, Weiss R, Mak G, Garrison AP. Success in pediatric surgery: An updated survey of Program Directors 2020. J Pediatr Surg 2022; 57:438-444. [PMID: 34865831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the most competitive surgical sub-specialty fellowships remains Pediatric Surgery (PS), which requires candidates to develop a strong and research-oriented curriculum vitae. Although some objective factors of matriculation are known, factors for the interview selection and ranking per the program directors (PDs) have not been reviewed in over a decade. METHODS A web-based survey of US and Canadian PS program directors (PDs) (n = 58) was used to evaluate a comprehensive list of factors in the selection criteria for PS fellowships. A mix of dichotomous, ranking, five-point Likert scale, and open-ended questions evaluated applicant characteristics, ABSITE scores, research productivity, interview day, and rank order criteria. RESULTS Fifty-five programs responded to the survey for a 95% participation rate. PDs desired an average of two years in dedicated research and weighted first authorship and total number of publications heavily. Only 38% of programs used an ABSITE score cutoff for offering interviews; however, the majority agreed that an overall upward trend was important. Quality letters of recommendation, especially from known colleagues, carried weight when deciding to offer interviews. Interview performance, being a team player, observed interpersonal interactions, perceived operative skills and patient care, and leadership were some of the notable factors when finalizing rank lists. CONCLUSIONS A multitude of factors define a successful matriculant, including quality of letters of recommendation, quality and quantity of publications, supportive phone calls, observed interactions, interview performance, perceptions of being team player with leadership skills as well as perceptions of good operative skills and patient care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Type II. TYPE OF STUDY Prognostic (retrospective).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Gupta
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jordan E Jackson
- East Bay Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - L Grier Arthur
- Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic Surgery, St Christopher's Hospitals for Children, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nicole Chandler
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
| | - Paul Danielson
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
| | - Cynthia Downard
- Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Peter Ehrlich
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Barbara Gaines
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Brian Gray
- Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Patrick Javid
- Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Michel Lallier
- CHU- Sainte-Justine, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Benedict Nwomeh
- Department of Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Edward Tagge
- Department of Surgery, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
| | - Richard Weiss
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Connecticut Children's, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Grace Mak
- Department of Surgery, Section of Pediatric Surgery, Comer Children's Hospital, The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Division, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Aaron P Garrison
- Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Cincinnati Children's, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026, United States.
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Sacks MA, Khan FA, Hazboun R, Radulescu A, Tagge EP. Objective Personality Determination: A Useful Addition to the Traditional Process of Pediatric Surgical Fellow Selection. Am Surg 2022; 88:2531-2537. [PMID: 35619551 DOI: 10.1177/00031348221103646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Selection of pediatric surgical trainees is a multifaceted process heavily influenced by in-person interviews to determine personality makeup and institutional compatibility. We present our experience in utilizing a validated personality inventory in the selection of our candidates. METHODS All applicants selected for an in-person interview for the 2020 Pediatric Surgery Match were offered the Big Five Inventory (BFI) questionnaire. An initial rank order list (ROL) was formulated employing application information and in-person interview score. A reformulated ROL was created after incorporating BFI data. Correlation of specific personality characteristics vs position on the ROL was assessed for both the initial ROL and the reformulated ROL. RESULTS Thirty-four applicants were interviewed and 24 (70.6%) were ranked. Linear regression analysis identified a lower neuroticism score directly related to a higher position on the initial ROL {R = .4626, P = .023}. The reformulated ROL identified a higher conscientiousness score {R = .5331; P = .007} and a lower neuroticism score {R = -.4383; P = .032} correlated with ascending the final ROL. CONCLUSIONS The self-administered BFI adds objectivity to personality determination gleamed from the standard face-to-face interview. Conscientiousness and neuroticism had a significant impact on the final ROL position. Adding objective personality data appears to provide additional aid in this difficult process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marla A Sacks
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, 23333Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - Faraz A Khan
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, 23333Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - Rajaie Hazboun
- Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Andrei Radulescu
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, 23333Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda, CA, USA
| | - Edward P Tagge
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, 23333Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, Loma Linda, CA, USA
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Bamba R, Bhagat N, Tran PC, Westrick E, Hassanein AH, Wooden WA. Virtual Interviews for the Independent Plastic Surgery Match: A Modern Convenience or a Modern Misrepresentation? JOURNAL OF SURGICAL EDUCATION 2021; 78:612-621. [PMID: 32958417 PMCID: PMC7500901 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The virtual interview for residency and fellowship applicants has previously been utilized preliminarily in their respective processes. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many programs to switch to a virtual interview process on short notice. In the independent plastic surgery process, which was underway when the pandemic started, applicants had a heterogeneous experience of in-person and virtual interviews. The purpose of this study was to assess if applicants prefer a virtual interview experience to an in-person interview as well as determine if virtual interview applicants had a different opinion of a program compared to the in-person interview applicants. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS The 2019 to 2020 applicants who interviewed at the Indiana University Independent Plastic Surgery program were administered an anonymous online survey about their interview experience at our program. RESULTS Our survey response was 60% (18/30). The in-person interview group (n = 10) rated their overall interview experience higher than the virtual interview group (n = 8) 8.8 vs 7.5 (p = 0.0314). The in-person interview group felt they became more acquainted with the program, the faculty, and the residents more than the virtual group (4.7 vs 3.25, p < 0.0001) (4.3 vs 3.25, p = 0.0194) (4.3 vs 2.75, p < 0.0001). The majority of applicants favored in-person interviews (16/18, 88.9%). The in-person interview group spent significantly more money on their interview at our program compared to the virtual interview group ($587 vs $0, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that the virtual interview process was an efficient process for applicants from both a financial and time perspective. However, the virtual interview process left applicants less satisfied with their interview experience. The applicants felt they did not become as acquainted with the program as their in-person counterparts. The virtual interview process may play a large role in residency and fellowship applications in the future, and programs should spend time on how to improve the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder Bamba
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Neel Bhagat
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Phu C Tran
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Evan Westrick
- Department of Surgery, AdventHealth Orlando, Orlando, Florida
| | - Aladdin H Hassanein
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - William A Wooden
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Nawaiseh MB, Haddadin RR, Al Droubi B, Nawaiseh HB, Alarood S, Aborajooh E, Abufaraj M, Abu-Yaghi NE. The Association Between Personality Traits and Specialty Preference Among Medical Students in Jordan. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2020; 13:599-607. [PMID: 32801957 PMCID: PMC7399462 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s262062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim To assess the association between personality traits by the five-factor model and specialty choice preference among medical students and immediate medical graduates in Jordan and to identify if there were any significant differences in personality profiles between those planning to pursue different career pathways. Methods This is a cross-sectional study including fifth- and sixth-year medical students and post-graduate internship doctors at five universities in Jordan. An online survey was used to collect data from participants, which included their general characteristics, their personality profile using the Big Five Inventory–2, and questions about their most preferred specialty choice. Results One thousand and twelve participants were enrolled in this study. Only 4.9% were interested in pursuing a specialty in basic medical sciences, and about 12% wanted to be non-practicing medical doctors. Almost half of all participants wanted to pursue a career in surgery-oriented specialties. Those were more extraverted, more conscientious, and had less negative emotions than students who chose medicine-oriented specialties. Students who decided to pursue clinical specialties and students who wanted to be practicing doctors were more extraverted and more conscientious. Conclusion Medical students and fresh medical graduates from Jordan who exhibited higher extraversion and conscientiousness and lower negative emotions preferred to be practicing clinicians. They were more inclined to pursue a career in surgery-oriented specialties. These findings might be helpful in understanding the preferences of young doctors and in counseling them about their career paths. Medical educators may wish to incorporate personality trait evaluation in planning post-graduate programs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rund R Haddadin
- King Hussein Medical Center, The Royal Medical Services, Amman, Jordan
| | - Belal Al Droubi
- School of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | | | | | - Emad Aborajooh
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Mutah University, Kerak, Jordan
| | - Mohammad Abufaraj
- School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.,Department of Urology, The University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Personality assessment in orthopaedic residency programs: A cross-sectional survey study. CURRENT ORTHOPAEDIC PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1097/bco.0000000000000843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Crafts TD, Bell TM, Srisuwananukorn A, Applebaum H, Markel TA. Accounting for early job turnover in recent pediatric surgery fellowship graduates: An American Pediatric Surgical Association Membership and Credentials Committee study. J Pediatr Surg 2018; 53:2273-2278. [PMID: 29784283 PMCID: PMC6186502 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2018.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Employment opportunities for graduating pediatric surgeons vary from year to year. Significant turnover among new employees indicates fellowship graduates may be unsophisticated in choosing job opportunities which will ultimately be satisfactory for themselves and their families. The purpose of this study was to assess what career, life, and social factors contributed to the turnover rates among pediatric surgeons in their first employment position. METHODS American Pediatric Surgical Association members who completed fellowship training between 2011 and 2016 were surveyed voluntarily. Only those who completed training in a pediatric surgery fellowship sanctioned by the American Board of Surgery and whose first employment involved the direct surgical care of patients were included. The survey was completed electronically and the results were evaluated using chi-squared analysis to determine which independent variables contributed to a dependent outcome of changing place of employment. RESULTS 110 surveys were returned with respondents meeting inclusion criteria. 13 (11.8%) of the respondents changed jobs within the study period and 97 (88.2%) did not change jobs. Factors identified that likely contributed to changing jobs included a perceived lack of opportunity for career [p = <0.001] advancement and the desire to no longer work at an academic or teaching facility [p = 0.013]. Others factors included excessive case load [p = 0.006]; personal conflict with partners or staff [p = 0.007]; career goals unfulfilled by practice [p = 0.011]; lack of mentorship in partners [p = 0.026]; and desire to be closer to the surgeon's or their spouse's family [p = 0.002]. CONCLUSIONS Several factors appear to play a role in motivating young pediatric surgeons to change jobs early in their careers. These factors should be taken into account by senior pediatric fellows and their advisors when considering job opportunities. TYPE OF STUDY Survey. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor D. Crafts
- Department of Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Teresa M. Bell
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN
| | | | - Harry Applebaum
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Troy A. Markel
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University Health, Indianapolis, IN,Section of Pediatric Surgery, Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN,Corresponding author at: Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University Health, 705 Riley Hospital Dr., RI 2500, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Tel.: +1 317 437 2506. . (T.A. Markel)
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