Factors Influencing Plastic Surgeons When Selecting New Colleagues

Abstract

Introduction: As plastic surgeons are continuing to form larger groups, it is essential to select candidates who will contribute to a positive work environment. This article shows which traits may be the most valuable when selecting candidates and in which ways a selection committee may want to focus their search. Methods: For the study, the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons' members answered a survey containing questions about demographics, the factors which influence the selection process, and their hiring experiences. Responses were separated and compared in groups based on gender, practice type, group size, and years practising. Significance was established if P < .05 using the w 2 test. Results: The most and least important factors regarding hiring a new group member were established. Statistically significant results were obtained between several different factors, including hiring a non-Canadian, the importance of the candidate's professional reputation, the number of publications by the candidate, and the presence or absence of program director letters. A majority (54%) of society members regret having hired a candidate, with the vast majority of these (75%) indicating personality and work ethic issues as opposite to professional skills as the uncomplimentary feature. Conclusion: This study has identified the key features which influence hiring new candidates. The need to develop a more efficient hiring process has been identified and has highlighted the difficulty faced by Canadian plastic surgery groups when recruiting new members.

The Ideal Applicant to the Saudi Plastic Surgery Residency Program

“… 12 More than two-thirds of the directors look for familiar aspiring residents, hence they prefer candidates who took electives/rotations at their institution. 8 Contrary to common belief, most of the program directors in our cohort look for applicants with background knowledge in plastic surgery; this can be achieved especially in rotations and electives. Notwithstanding, it is a challenging step as most of the curricula in Saudi universities overlook plastic-surgery–related topics.…”

“… 3 Oxley and Lotto regarded properly answering questions in the interview and making a good impression as the most important factor when selecting residents. 8 On the other hand, a review of literature revealed that only 11 of 34 studies have found a positive correlation between interviews and performance during residency, in terms of clinical evaluations, in-training examinations, licensing board examinations, and a composite score or rank of residents’ performance. This disparity between interview expectations and future performance can be explained, in part, by lack of structure, inevitable subjectivity, and interpersonal and social skills.…”

“…This parallels to the findings by Oxley and Lotto, where members of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons labeled personal and professional reputation among other colleagues and peers as one of the most important factors when selecting potential residents. 8 …”

“…A different study also suggested that holding additional degrees is insignificant during the selection process. 8 With regard to the GPA and SMLE score, once the minimum requirement has been passed, it seems that most of the local plastic surgery directors overlook them, as they were placed in the middle- to lower ranking of importance. Nonetheless, almost all current residents in plastic surgery scored a GPA of 4–4.5 of 5 or 3.5–3.75 of 4 or higher, reflecting rich academic achievements.…”

“…Interestingly, artistic background was deemed less valuable by the surgeons in the survey by Liang et al 3 In a survey-based study, 54% of the plastic surgeons in the sample had regretted hiring a resident before: 36% due to poor relationship with other fellow surgeons, 31% due to creating administrative problems or complaints, 25% due to underdeveloped clinical judgment, and 8% due to poor relationships with other staff. 8 Henceforth, candidates should be aware not to be victims of such pitfalls and risk losing potential positions.…”