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. 2017 Nov 9;5(11):2325967117736726.
doi: 10.1177/2325967117736726. eCollection 2017 Nov.

Determining the Most Important Factors Involved in Ranking Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Applicants

Rishi Baweja  1 , Matthew J Kraeutler  2 , Mary K Mulcahey  3 , Eric C McCarty  1
Affiliations

Determining the Most Important Factors Involved in Ranking Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Applicants

Rishi Baweja et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: Orthopaedic surgery residencies and certain fellowships are becoming increasingly competitive. Several studies have identified important factors to be taken into account when selecting medical students for residency interviews. Similar information for selecting orthopaedic sports medicine fellows does not exist.

Purpose: To determine the most important factors that orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program directors (PDs) take into account when ranking applicants.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: A brief survey was distributed electronically to PDs of the 92 orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Each PD was asked to rank, in order, the 5 most important factors taken into account when ranking applicants based on a total list of 13 factors: the interview, the applicant's residency program, letters of recommendation (LORs), personal connections made through the applicant, research experience, an applicant's geographical ties to the city/town of the fellowship program, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) scores, history of being a competitive athlete in college, extracurricular activities/hobbies, volunteer experience, interest in a career in academics, and publications/research/posters. Factors were scored from 1 to 5, with a score of 5 representing the most important factor and 1 representing the fifth-most important factor.

Results: Of the 92 PDs contacted, 57 (62%) responded. Thirty-four PDs (37%) listed the interview as the most important factor in ranking fellowship applicants (overall score, 233). LORs (overall score, 196), an applicant's residency program (overall score, 133), publications/research/posters (overall score, 115), and personal connections (overall score, 90) were reported as the second- through fifth-most important factors, respectively.

Conclusion: According to orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship PDs, the fellowship interview is the most important factor in determining how an applicant will be ranked. Other factors, including LORs, the applicant's residency program, research production, and personal connections, were also considered to be important. This information provides orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship applicants with a better understanding of which areas to focus on when preparing for the fellowship interview and matching process.

Keywords: fellow education; fellowship; sports medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: E.C.M. receives royalties from Biomet and Elsevier; is a paid consultant for Biomet; and receives research support from Biomet, Mitek, Smith & Nephew, and Stryker.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overall score of the 13 factors taken into account when ranking orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship applicants. OITE, Orthopaedic In-Training Examination; USMLE, United States Medical Licensing Examination.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Factors ranked as most important by orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program directors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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