title: Residency Selection Criteria: What Medical Students Perceive as Important.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about medical students' perceptions of which criteria are important in residency selection. Student knowledge of this process may affect their education and their ability to obtain the residency of their choice.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the perceived importance among medical students of various selection criteria for residency.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical students at three institutions were asked to rate the importance of various residency selection criteria using a web-based survey instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen residency selection criteria were included in the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 49.2%. Criteria perceived as extremely important by the majority of students were the interview (80.6%), grades in third and fourth year courses in their chosen specialty (73.3%), letters of recommendation excluding the Dean's letter (65.3%), and grades in third and fourth year clerkships (55.9%). USMLE Step 1 score (46.7%) was viewed as extremely important by many students. Moderately important: grades in fourth year electives not in their chosen specialty (57.3%), medical school's reputation (50.5%), number of honor grades (49.0%), USMLE Step 2 score (42.3%), and Dean's letter (41.1%). Mildly/not important: grades in the first and second years (56.8%), academic awards (55.2%), extracurricular activities (52.6%), research (50.9%), class rank (49.3%), and AOA (46.5%). Students in the clinical years of training were more likely to place importance on honors grades (p=0.04) and AOA (p=0.009) and were less likely to place importance on grades in fourth year electives not in their chosen specialty (p˂0.0001), scores on USMLE Step 1 (p=0.0003), USMLE Step 2 (p˂0.0001), and Dean's letter (p˂0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Misperceptions about which criteria are important in residency selection are common among medical students. Many overestimate the importance of subjective criteria while undervaluing objective criteria.
authors.affiliation: a University of Colorado School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brandenburg
authors.affiliation: a University of Colorado School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kruzick
authors.affiliation: a University of Colorado School of Medicine.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: b Colorado Permanente Medical Group, formerly University of Colorado School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: a University of Colorado School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Lorraine J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Adams