Does Applicant Gender Have an Effect on Standardized Letters of Evaluation Obtained During Medical Student Emergency Medicine Rotations?

Andrusaitis, Jessica; Clark, Clelia; Saadat, Soheil; Billimek, John; Paradise, Sara; Wray, Alisa; Wiechmann, Warren; Toohey, Shannon; Boysen‐Osborn, Megan

doi:10.1002/aet2.10394

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This could be related to the female applicants in the study scoring higher on the COMLEX-2 as compared to their male counterparts. Previous data has also shown that allopathic female applicants had better composite scores, comparative rank scores, and rank list position scores as compared to their male counterparts [ 10 ]. Although not directly studied, these results may coincide with better quantitative scores achieved by osteopathic female applicants on the SLOE as compared to males and cause SLOE authors to use more standout and achievement words in the narrative portion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Differences in Language of Standardized Letter of Evaluation Narratives in Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Residency Applicants

Truong¹,

Santarelli²,

Dawson³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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BackgroundThe standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) is used by emergency medicine (EM) faculty during the interview and match process. Data has shown that female allopathic applicants score higher in communal characteristics and have a greater number of ability words in the narrative portion of the SLOE as compared to their male counterparts. ObjectiveTo determine if there is a difference in the language used to describe male and female osteopathic applicants within the SLOE. MethodsAll applicants to a three-year EM residency within a single application cycle were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria included allopathic applicants, applicants without a SLOE, or applicants with a SLOE only from the interviewing program. Data collected included applicant demographics and SLOE narratives. The previously validated Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC; Pennebaker Conglomerates, Inc., Austin, TX) product was used to analyze word counts from the narrative portion of each SLOE. Descriptive statistics and t-tests for continuous data were used. ResultsOf the 577 applicants to the residency program, 318 met inclusion criteria and 33% were female. Females had a higher COMLEX-2 (590 vs 559; p=0.05) as compared to males but no difference was found for the remainder of the baseline demographics. No difference was found for the number of words in the narrative portion of the SLOE between males and females (males = 122 words; females = 127 words; p=0.53). Words within the social (p=0.006), achievement (p=0.007), and standout (p<0.001) categories were more frequent in osteopathic female applicants as compared to males. No statistical differences were detected for the other 13 categories analyzed. ConclusionIn this sample of osteopathic applicants, little linguistic difference was noted for the narrative portion of the SLOE. SLOE authors did, however, use more social, achievement, and standout words to describe females as compared to male applicants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Differences in Language of Standardized Letter of Evaluation Narratives in Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Residency Applicants

Truong¹,

Santarelli²,

Dawson³

et al. 2021

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To manage the biases and other issues associated with NLORs, some fields have adopted standardized mechanisms such as the SLORs to make the process more objective. 12,[22][23][24] Our colleagues in emergency medicine were the first to implement SLORs and found a decrease in gender-based differences in the letters. 24 In one comparison of 822 SLORs written for men and women applicants to emergency medicine residencies, no gender-based differences were identified in agentic, communal, standout, grindstone, or research/teaching terms.…”

Section: Bias In Nlors In Surgical Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12,[22][23][24] Our colleagues in emergency medicine were the first to implement SLORs and found a decrease in gender-based differences in the letters. 24 In one comparison of 822 SLORs written for men and women applicants to emergency medicine residencies, no gender-based differences were identified in agentic, communal, standout, grindstone, or research/teaching terms. The letters written for women were more likely to have social words (ie, friend) and ability terms (ie, talented).…”

Section: Bias In Nlors In Surgical Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Letters of recommendation: Nuanced bias or useful affirmation?

Sachdev

2021

Journal of Vascular Surgery

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Narrative letters of recommendation (NLORs) have become key elements of the application process for residency and fellowship. The potential to inadvertently admit bias into these subjective narratives has become an area of research focus across many disciplines. In the present review, we have highlighted the current data regarding bias in NLORs. We also believe that one of the most effective methods to eliminate bias from written recommendations is to first understand that it exists. Thus, the objective measures that have been taken to identify bias in NLORs are important steps in the right direction. We have presented and reflected on the accrued data on bias in NLORs pertaining to surgical training.

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“…Fourteen studies have been published about the SLOE that could be categorized as representing evidence for response process, which makes this the most studied aspect of the SLOE. 5,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Three of the 14 studies provided evidence for validity and 11 of the 14 provided evidence against validity of the SLOE.…”

Section: Response Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11 Eleven studies provided evidence against response process validity. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Six studies have shown that authors do not adhere to the ranking guidelines and that ranking inflation is rampant on the SLOE. [12][13][14][15][16][17] One review found that ''nearly all'' applicants were ranked near the top and that only 2% of letters used the bottom rankings.…”

Section: Response Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validity Evidence for the Emergency Medicine Standardized Letter of Evaluation

Kukulski

Ahn

2021

Journal of Graduate Medical Education

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Background The standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) is the application component that program directors value most when evaluating candidates to interview and rank for emergency medicine (EM) residency. Given its successful implementation, other specialties, including otolaryngology, dermatology, and orthopedics, have adopted similar SLOEs of their own, and more specialties are considering creating one. Unfortunately, for such a significant assessment tool, no study to date has comprehensively examined the validity evidence for the EM SLOE. Objective We summarized the published evidence for validity for the EM SLOE using Messick's framework for validity evidence. Methods A scoping review of the validity evidence of the EM SLOE was performed in 2020. A scoping review was chosen to identify gaps and future directions, and because the heterogeneity of the literature makes a systematic review difficult. Included articles were assigned to an aspect of Messick's framework and determined to provide evidence for or against validity. Results There have been 22 articles published relating to validity evidence for the EM SLOE. There is evidence for content validity; however, there is a lack of evidence for internal structure, relation to other variables, and consequences. Additionally, the literature regarding response process demonstrates evidence against validity. Conclusions Overall, there is little published evidence in support of validity for the EM SLOE. Stakeholders need to consider changing the ranking system, improving standardization of clerkships, and further studying relation to other variables to improve validity. This will be important across GME as more specialties adopt a standardized letter.

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Does Applicant Gender Have an Effect on Standardized Letters of Evaluation Obtained During Medical Student Emergency Medicine Rotations?

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Gender Differences in Language of Standardized Letter of Evaluation Narratives in Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Residency Applicants

Gender Differences in Language of Standardized Letter of Evaluation Narratives in Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Residency Applicants

Letters of recommendation: Nuanced bias or useful affirmation?

Validity Evidence for the Emergency Medicine Standardized Letter of Evaluation

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