Factors Considered in Ranking Spine Surgery Fellowship Applicants

Abstract

Study Design. Cross-sectional study. Objective. To determine which factors spine surgery fellowship program directors (PDs) consider most important when ranking applicants. Summary of Background Data. Spine surgery is a popular orthopedic subspecialty. As such, the spine fellowship match process is highly competitive. Surveys of fellowship PDs in orthopedic sports medicine and hand surgery have demonstrated differing opinions regarding factors considered most important when ranking fellowship applicants. The factors considered important to spine surgery fellowship PDs have not been evaluated. Methods. A web-based questionnaire was sent to the PDs of all spine surgery fellowships participating in the San Francisco (SF) Match Program. The questions were designed to identify criteria considered most important in ranking spine surgery fellowship applicants. A list of 12 criteria was presented and PDs were asked to rank these in order of importance. A weighted score for each criterion was calculated using the following scale: 5 points for each criterion ranked 1st, 4 points for 2nd, 3 points for 3rd, 2 points for 4th, and 1 point for 5th. Results. Of the 73 PDs queried, 52 responded (71% response rate). The interview was the most important factor when ranking fellowship applicants. The other criteria deemed most important in order of weighted scoring were letters of recommendation and personal connections to the applicant and/or familiarity with the applicant's letter writer(s). Conclusion.Spine surgery fellowship PDs consider the interview, letters of recommendation, and personal connections with the applicant/letter writers to be the most important factors when ranking candidates. These results may be valuable to orthopedic residents and mentors of those pursuing fellowship training in spine surgery.

Virtual Interviews for Sports Medicine Fellowship Positions Save Time and Money but Don’t Replace In-Person Meetings

“…This may have led fellowship programs to rely more heavily on letters of recommendation or personal phone calls as previous studies have shown the importance of personal connections in the match process. 10,16 Yong et al 17 assessed the perspectives of fellowship directors and applicants regarding the virtual interview process for orthopaedic surgery trauma fellowships. The authors found that 75% of fellowship directors stated that virtual interviews limited their ability to familiarize themselves with an applicant and only 50% reported that they were comfortable ranking an applicant after a virtual interview.…”

Factors Considered in Ranking Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Applicants

“…Program directors were then asked to evaluate 12 specific factors that might be considered in ranking fellowship applicants based on prior surveys of orthopaedic fellowship program directors. [3][4][5][6] These 12 criteria were displayed in a random order for each survey recipient. Randomization was automated by the online survey tool used to distribute the survey (Qualtrics, Provo, UT).…”

“…This scoring system is consistent with surveys of program directors from orthopaedic trauma, spine, sports medicine, and hip and knee arthroplasty subspecialties. [3][4][5][6]…”

“…Many previous studies have evaluated factors considered important by fellowship program directors during the application and interview process, including studies evaluating the importance of various selection criteria in other orthopaedic fellowships including trauma, spine, sports medicine, and hip and knee arthroplasty. [3][4][5][6] While these studies identified several similar criteria, such as the interview and letters of recommendation, as important factors used by program directors to rank applicants, the emphasis placed on some factors such as research experience, personal connections, and the applicant's residency program varied between orthopaedic subspecialties. [3][4][5][6] Furthermore, these studies were conducted prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has fundamentally altered the recruitment process and may therefore influence which factors are considered most important when ranking fellowship applicants.…”

“…[3][4][5][6] While these studies identified several similar criteria, such as the interview and letters of recommendation, as important factors used by program directors to rank applicants, the emphasis placed on some factors such as research experience, personal connections, and the applicant's residency program varied between orthopaedic subspecialties. [3][4][5][6] Furthermore, these studies were conducted prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has fundamentally altered the recruitment process and may therefore influence which factors are considered most important when ranking fellowship applicants.…”