Emergency medicine residency selection: factors influencing candidate decisions.
BACKGROUND
Published information is limited regarding factors considered by emergency medicine resident candidates when selecting a residency program.


OBJECTIVE
To identify factors considered important by applicants when making decisions about residency programs.


METHODS
A self-administered survey questionnaire was mailed to all applicants who interviewed at the authors' emergency medicine residency program for the 2003-2004 match year.


RESULTS
Surveys were completed by 105 respondents (53% response rate). Factors were rank-ordered by the proportion of respondents who indicated that the factor was "very important" or "important" when selecting residency programs. The five most important factors were friendliness (95%), environment (87%), interview day (81%), academics (76%), and location (74%). Male applicants were more likely to consider the existence of a flight program important or very important (55%), compared with female applicants (33%, p < 0.05, chi-square). Older respondents (over the age of 30 years) were more likely to consider gender issues (16%, compared with 13%) and research (32%, compared with 20%) as important factors (p < 0.05, chi-square).


CONCLUSIONS
Residency applicants indicated that the most important factors when selecting residency program(s) were friendliness, environment, interview day, academics, and location.
DeSantis
Melissa
M
Emergency Department, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, 2213 Cherry Street, Toledo, OH 43608, USA. desantismd@yahoo.com
Marco
Catherine A
CA
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*