Standardized Assessment Tool for Surgery Applicants Reduces Attrition and Improves Board Pass Rate

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Residency Admissions
• Applicant Assessment Tools

Background:

• Standardizing surgery residency applicant review is challenging and prone to bias.
• Effective assessment and identification of candidates are crucial for residency retention and performance.
• Current methods lack objectivity, potentially impacting program quality and diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a standardized, holistic assessment tool for surgery residency applicants.
• To stratify applicants for ranking and improve the selection process.
• To evaluate the impact of the tool on resident outcomes and program diversity.

Main Methods:

• Developed a scoring rubric for applicant characteristics: medical school, USMLE scores, class standing, letters of recommendation, MSPE, awards, and activities.
• Utilized the tool's overall score for interview invitations and final applicant stratification.
• Compared outcomes (attrition, remediation, board pass rates) before and after tool implementation.

Main Results:

• Post-implementation, attrition rate decreased from 18.3% to 7.9% (p < 0.01).
• First-time board pass rate increased from 64.3% to 92.3% (p < 0.01).
• Proportion of under-represented in medicine (URM) residents increased from 58.3% to 68.4%.

Conclusions:

• Standardized assessment effectively identifies residents likely to succeed, improving program outcomes.
• The tool contributes to increased diversity within surgery residency programs.
• This framework can be adapted by program directors to prioritize objective candidate characteristics and enhance program success.