TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of the pediatric surgery fellowship application process using the Thalamus™ database
AU - Lin, Saunders
AU - Reminick, Jason
AU - Love, Ephy
AU - Nwomeh, Benedict
AU - Krishnaswami, Sanjay
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Background: The pediatric surgery fellowship interview process is costly and time intensive. We hypothesized that the increasing number of interviews completed by applicants and programs have become inefficient over time. Methods: We analyzed pediatric surgery fellowship program and applicant interview data between 2018 and 2020. Cancellations, program fill time, regional analysis of programs and applicants, and program rank list data were also captured. Analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis. Results: Our dataset included 34, 41, and 45 programs, which represented 81%, 91%, and 97% of all programs in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The median number of interviews completed per program remained constant, while the median number of interviews per applicant increased from 9.0 in 2018 to 13.0 in 2020. For 75% of programs, a program required only 4 or less candidates to fill their position. On average, 96% of program interviews do not result in a matched candidate. Conclusions: Programs offer interviews out of proportion to the number of positions available, and most applicants attend all interviews offered. We recommend an initial program goal of 20 interviews, which may be achieved by increased use of virtual interviews and the creation of program-level data on ideal applicant profiles.
AB - Background: The pediatric surgery fellowship interview process is costly and time intensive. We hypothesized that the increasing number of interviews completed by applicants and programs have become inefficient over time. Methods: We analyzed pediatric surgery fellowship program and applicant interview data between 2018 and 2020. Cancellations, program fill time, regional analysis of programs and applicants, and program rank list data were also captured. Analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis. Results: Our dataset included 34, 41, and 45 programs, which represented 81%, 91%, and 97% of all programs in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The median number of interviews completed per program remained constant, while the median number of interviews per applicant increased from 9.0 in 2018 to 13.0 in 2020. For 75% of programs, a program required only 4 or less candidates to fill their position. On average, 96% of program interviews do not result in a matched candidate. Conclusions: Programs offer interviews out of proportion to the number of positions available, and most applicants attend all interviews offered. We recommend an initial program goal of 20 interviews, which may be achieved by increased use of virtual interviews and the creation of program-level data on ideal applicant profiles.
KW - Fellowship
KW - Interview
KW - Pediatric surgery
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.02.040
DO - 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.02.040
M3 - Article
C2 - 33762120
AN - SCOPUS:85103001954
SN - 0022-3468
VL - 56
SP - 1095
EP - 1100
JO - Journal of pediatric surgery
JF - Journal of pediatric surgery
IS - 6
ER -