Does sex affect residency application to surgery?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether women are proportionately underselected at the level of the annual residency match.


METHODS
Data were obtained from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Canadian Residency Matching Service. The odds of men being rejected from their top choice of surgical discipline were compared with the corresponding odds for women for the surgical specialties of general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, urology, cardiac surgery and plastic surgery.


RESULTS
Women continue to be underrepresented among surgery residents and surgeons in practice; however, the number of women has increased. Neither sex was overselected among the surgical specialties examined.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no evidence of overselection of either sex at the level of the annual resident selection committee.
Baerlocher
Mark Otto
MO
Radiology Residency Training Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mark.Baerlocher@utoronto.ca
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002321:Career Choice; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors