title: The profile of successful applicants for endocrine surgery fellowships: results of a national survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The American Association of Endocrine Surgeons initiated a fellowship match in 2007. The profile of applicants who successfully match into an endocrine surgery (ES) fellowship has not previously been characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  An institutional review board-approved, web-based survey was distributed to recent and current ES fellows.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey response rate was 62% (56/90). The overall mean age was 33 years (standard deviation ±3), 54% were female, and 37% self-identified as non-white. Only 5% entered their surgical training with the aim of specializing in ES. During residency, respondents were exposed to high volumes of index ES cases. Sixty-two percent had dedicated research time. At the time of fellowship application, the median number of publications was 5 (range, 0 to 25), and 30% of respondents had additional advanced degrees.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Entering ES fellows has diverse backgrounds, with strong academic credentials. These data help inform the career mentoring of aspiring ES applicants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Afif N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kulaylat
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kenning
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chesnut
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors.forename: Jane R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Schubart
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. Electronic address: bsaunders@hmc.psu.edu.
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013507:Endocrine Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Endocrine surgery; Fellowship; Mentoring; Profile/characteristics; Successful match