Evaluation of the pediatric surgical matching program by the directors of pediatric surgical training programs

In a previous survey of successful candidates (SC) and unsuccessful candidates (USC) to the pediatric surgery matching program (PSMP), significant discriminating factors associated with SC included previous participation in basic science research, number of publications, number of national presentations, and contact with and letters of recommendation from well-known pediatric surgeons. The purpose of this study was to determine the selection criteria used by directors of the pediatric surgery training programs (PSTP) in choosing residents for the PSMP. A two-part survey of the PSMP was completed by directors of the PSTP (n = 24) to identify the factors (n = 31) that most influence their selection process when choosing a resident, and to help clarify questions (n = 11) posed by the candidates during the first survey. In part I, each factor was scored on a modified Likert Scale, from most (1) to least (5) important in evaluating candidates for training positions, and were ranked according to the mean score. Based on our previous survey, but blinded to the PSTP director respondents, these same factors were divided into groups that, in our first survey, did and did not discriminate between SC and USC for the PSMP, and will be referred to as "discriminating factors" (DF, n = 7) and "non-discriminating factors" (NDF, n = 8), respectively. Also, a series of questions dealt with subjective factors of the candidates, not previously analyzed in our original survey, and will be referred to as "program directors' factors" (PDF, n = 16). The three groups (DF, NDF, PDF) were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The five most important factors to the PSTP directors were (1) works well with people (1.24), (2) personal interview (1.33), (3) telephone conversations with other pediatric surgeons (1.4), (4) interviews with other faculty (1.48), and (5) personality (1.5). PDF (mean score, 2.13) were considered most important, followed by DF (2.66) and NDF (3.16). These groups are significantly different by ANOVA (F = 4.16, P = .02) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (H = 6.516, P = .04). Most directors supported mandatory participation in the matching process and were opposed to centralized interviews. Almost all believed that the current system provides accurate information about the candidates, but that qualified candidates often went unmatched. Sixty percent favored an increase in the number of training programs. The PSMP now has been analyzed from both the candidates' and PSTP directors' points of view. The results of this survey of the PSMP by the PSTP directors confirm our previous survey's results with respect to objective factors that distinguish between SC and USC in the PSMP. However, subjective PDF were considered the most important factors in evaluating a candidate; this emphasizes the personal intangible characteristics of the candidates and assumes stellar academic and technical abilities.