Development and content validation of family practice residency recruitment questionnaires

The residency recruitment process involves a substantial time and financial commitment on the part of medical students and residency programs. This paper describes the development and content validation process of two written questionnaires designed to assess the application and interview process at our family practice residency program.

Two written questionnaires were developed after completion of a literature review and from areas deemed important by our academic faculty. Drafts of each questionnaire were sent to nine jurors to assess content validity. Content reviewers provided both a qualitative and a quantitative assessment of each questionnaire.

The inclusion of both open- and closed-ended questions/items was deemed necessary and appropriate by the panel of content jurors. Assessing faculty, residents, curriculum, program's reputation, geographic location, and spouse/family influence were considered the most important factors to include on the questionnaires when assessing a family practice residency program.

With increasing pressure to fill positions across many family practice residency programs, it is important for faculty involved in the recruitment process to recognize that both factors within and out of their control contribute to the selection process.