title: We Wear Suits and Lie to Each Other.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The residency match process is stressful and costly for fourth-year medical students with significant personal and professional implications. We hypothesize that students use impression management (IM) tactics such as conforming to the perceived expectations of program directors and interviewers and to improve their chances of matching.
  
  
  METHODS
  After institutional review board approval, a piloted survey tool was administered to fourth-year medical students at 17 schools. Questions were divided into interviewing behavior categories-slight image creation (embellishing and tailoring), extensive image creation (constructing, inventing, and borrowing), image protection (omitting), and ingratiation (opinion conforming). Descriptive statistics are presented as percentages. Data were analyzed using chi-square test, Fischer exact test, and Bonferroni-adjusted p values where appropriate with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.
  
  
  METHODS
  Allopathic medical schools in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourth-year medical students in the United States.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 21.3%. Respondents were equally male (49.7%)/female (50.3%), primarily 25 to 27-year old (65.9%) and located in the midwest (78.8%). Most attended public medical schools (73.1%). Statistically significant findings are presented in the Tables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fourth-year medical students feel the need, and in some instances, actually engage in IM tactics. This study demonstrates that IM tactics are used, and vary by interviewee characteristics. Program directors' awareness of IM tactics may help improving the quality of residency interviews and therefore select more suitable candidates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. Electronic address: charity.evans@unmc.edu.
authors.forename: Charity H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Schlitzkus
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shostrom
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
authors.forename: Kimberly D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Schenarts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: Interpersonal and Communication Skills; Professionalism; impression management; medical students; residency interviews; residency match