Five Genes: Key Qualities for Selecting Residents with High Potential

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. During my time as program director, I have reviewed hundreds of residency applications, familiarized myself with the application process, and discovered five characteristics or "genes" that contribute to the success of a future resident. With the advent of an online residency application system, filters tend to focus on more quantitative data like test scores, which may not capture an applicant's true ability to be a successful resident. Applicants' letters of recommendation from both deans and physicians are also increasingly becoming harder to interpret due to diction that is either too hard to understand and/or has the potential to come off negatively. Personal statements, while attempting to capture an applicant's valuable experiences and beliefs, tend to fall short because most applicants either share too strong of political or religious views or do not share enough substance to make a statement truly "personal." Beyond these typical application materials, how a student communicates with others outside of an interview is key for determining a student's true professional behavior. This communication could be in the form of scheduling, rescheduling, or cancelling interviews or how the student interacts with the residents at the informal dinner the night before the interview. Along with professional communication, five "genes" that make for a successful resident, as mentioned above, are passion for the profession, intellectual curiosity and investment, work ethic, ability to be a team player, and empathy. If armed with these qualities, an applicant can turn into a successful resident in no time.