TY - JOUR
T1 - A Survey of the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship Programs Regarding Applicant Selection and Rank
AU - Wach, Michael M.
AU - Ayabe, Reed I.
AU - Ruff, Samantha M.
AU - D’Angelica, Michael
AU - Dineen, Sean P.
AU - Grubbs, Elizabeth G.
AU - Shibata, David
AU - Shirley, Lawrence
AU - Weiss, Matthew J.
AU - Davis, Jeremy L.
AU - Hernandez, Jonathan M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, This is a U.S. government work and its text is not subject to copyright protection in the United States; however, its text may be subject to foreign copyright protection.
PY - 2019/9/15
Y1 - 2019/9/15
N2 - Background: There is significant demand for training in Complex General Surgical Oncology (CGSO) fellowships. Previous work has explored objective quantitative metrics of applicants that matriculated to CGSO fellowships; however, ambiguity remains concerning academic benchmarks and qualitative factors that impact matriculation. Study Design: A web-based survey was sent to each ACGME/SSO-approved CGSO fellowship training program. The survey was comprised of 24 questions in various forms, including dichotomous, ranked, and five-point Likert scale questions. Results: Twenty-nine of 30 program directors (97%) submitted complete survey responses, representing 64 of the 65 CGSO fellowship positions (99%) currently offered. Programs received a mean of 73 applications per cycle (range 50–125) and granted a mean of 26 interviews (range 2–45). Seventy-two percent of programs had an established benchmark for ABSITE score percentile before offering a candidate an interview, with 62% of those programs setting that benchmark above the 50th percentile. The majority of programs also had established benchmarks for quantity of first author publications (mean: 2.3) and all publications of any authorship (mean: 4.4). An applicant’s interview was ranked as the most important factor in determining inclusion on the program’s rank list. The ability to work as part of a team, interpersonal interaction/communication abilities, and operative skills were rated as most important applicant characteristics, whereas an applicant’s personal statement was ranked as least important. Conclusions: After established academic benchmarks have been met, a multitude of factors influences ranking of applicants to the CGSO fellowship, most of which are assessed at the interview.
AB - Background: There is significant demand for training in Complex General Surgical Oncology (CGSO) fellowships. Previous work has explored objective quantitative metrics of applicants that matriculated to CGSO fellowships; however, ambiguity remains concerning academic benchmarks and qualitative factors that impact matriculation. Study Design: A web-based survey was sent to each ACGME/SSO-approved CGSO fellowship training program. The survey was comprised of 24 questions in various forms, including dichotomous, ranked, and five-point Likert scale questions. Results: Twenty-nine of 30 program directors (97%) submitted complete survey responses, representing 64 of the 65 CGSO fellowship positions (99%) currently offered. Programs received a mean of 73 applications per cycle (range 50–125) and granted a mean of 26 interviews (range 2–45). Seventy-two percent of programs had an established benchmark for ABSITE score percentile before offering a candidate an interview, with 62% of those programs setting that benchmark above the 50th percentile. The majority of programs also had established benchmarks for quantity of first author publications (mean: 2.3) and all publications of any authorship (mean: 4.4). An applicant’s interview was ranked as the most important factor in determining inclusion on the program’s rank list. The ability to work as part of a team, interpersonal interaction/communication abilities, and operative skills were rated as most important applicant characteristics, whereas an applicant’s personal statement was ranked as least important. Conclusions: After established academic benchmarks have been met, a multitude of factors influences ranking of applicants to the CGSO fellowship, most of which are assessed at the interview.
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U2 - 10.1245/s10434-019-07372-1
DO - 10.1245/s10434-019-07372-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 31011903
AN - SCOPUS:85064618884
SN - 1068-9265
VL - 26
SP - 2675
EP - 2681
JO - Annals of surgical oncology
JF - Annals of surgical oncology
IS - 9
ER -