Don't Shoot the Messenger: Surgical Programs Can Do More to Keep Applicants Informed.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Residency Admissions
• Graduate Medical Education

Background:

• The general surgery residency interview process faces challenges due to high applicant volume, leading to unprofessional conduct.
• Improved transparency in interview scheduling can mitigate educational disruptions and enhance applicant satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the extent and standardization of information provided by US general surgery residency programs to applicants regarding interview scheduling.
• To identify gaps in publicly available data that could be improved to streamline the application process.

Main Methods:

• A review of publicly accessible sources for 317 US general surgery residency programs was conducted.
• Data collected included application deadlines, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) score cutoffs, interview scheduling details, and policies for International Medical Graduates (IMGs).

Main Results:

• Information on application deadlines (76%) and USMLE Step 1 (65%) and Step 2 (50%) score cutoffs was frequently disclosed.
• Details on interview dates (23%), interview offer release dates (3.4%), and decline notifications (2.8%) were rarely provided.
• A significant portion of programs (32%) presented conflicting information.

Conclusions:

• Publicly available information on general surgery residency interview scheduling is minimal, inconsistent, and unreliable.
• Lack of standardized data on key scheduling aspects, such as interview offer timelines and decline policies, negatively impacts applicants.
• Standardizing and increasing the availability of this information could significantly improve the overall applicant experience and satisfaction.