Influence of Gender on Surgical Residency Applicants’ Recommendation Letters

Turrentine, Florence E.; Dreisbach, Caitlin; Ivany, Amanda R St; Hanks, John B.; Schroen, Anneke T.

doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2018.12.020

Cited by 155 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(68 reference statements)

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“…Previous studies in which selection criteria for veterinary interns and residents have been examined have not considered whether reviewers of different genders could differ systematically in what criteria they consider important or the relative weights given to different criteria . Gender is known to play a role in resident selection in human specialties, although studies have focused on applicant rather than reviewer gender . We conclude that if gender bias exists in veterinary SRP selection, it does not stem from different perspectives on overall selection criteria among reviewers of different self‐identified genders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…6,11,12 Gender is known to play a role in resident selection in human specialties, although studies have focused on applicant rather than reviewer gender. 13,14 We conclude that if gender bias exists in veterinary SRP selection, it does not stem from different perspectives on overall selection criteria among reviewers of different self-identified genders. This finding could be informative for future research into surgery residency selection outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

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A survey of criteria used to evaluate applications for small animal surgery residency positions

et al. 2019

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Objective To determine attributes of applicants to small animal surgery residency programs (SRP) that are considered important, favorable, or detrimental according to surgeons at SRP registered with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). Study design Online survey. Sample population Residency‐trained surgeons at ACVS‐registered SRP. Methods An online survey was advertised to eligible surgeons. Respondents anonymously provided information about their professional backgrounds and SRP interview practices and rated candidate attributes in terms of importance during application screening and favorable or detrimental effects during selection or ranking. Responses were compared by respondent practice setting and sex. Results Surveys were completed by 148 of 289 (51%) invited surgeons. Male and female surgeons were equally represented, and 61% worked in academia. Most respondents’ SRP offered in‐person interviews, typically to a select applicant group from whom residents were ultimately chosen. Letters of recommendation were the most influential factor in all phases of application review, particularly when respondents knew the writers. Other critical attributes were academic record, internship reputation, research activity, and indices of interpersonal skills. Nearly all respondents considered multiple prior unsuccessful applications detrimental. Academic respondents emphasized academic performance and academic internships; private practice respondents valued personal contact with applicants and surgical specialty internships. Responses did not differ by self‐identified gender. Conclusion Surgery residency program surgeons preferred first‐ or second‐time applicants with excellent academic credentials, specific internship and research experiences, and letters of support from trusted colleagues as well as strong interpersonal skills. Clinical impact Prospective residents can use this information to assess their candidacies, identify potential weaknesses, and prepare competitive applications.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

A survey of criteria used to evaluate applications for small animal surgery residency positions

et al. 2019

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“…Gaucher, Friesen, and Kay refer to gendered wording in employment-related texts as "unacknowledged, institutional-level mechanism of inequality maintenance" in male-dominated professions [9, p. 109]. When we are talking about employment-related studies, letters of recommendation have probably been the most researched topic since the 1980s [4,[10][11][12].…”

Section: Problem Overview and Goals Of The Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another group of scientists analyzed 332 letters of recommendation written for surgical residency applicants in 2016-2017 [12]. They also uncovered the existing significant bias towards male applicants, who received considerably longer references which spoke a lot about their achievements, abilities and leadership qualities.…”

Section: Problem Overview and Goals Of The Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender-Biased Language of the Workplace

Stroi

2020

Diskurs

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The World Economic Forum reports that in 2018 only 34 % of managerial positions globally were occupied by women, and the wage gap between male and female employees constitutes 63 % on average with only 67 % of women doing paid jobs. While there are multiple economic, social and cultural reasons why women are not being employed or promoted, the goal of the present study is to look at the linguistic biases hindering women's careers. We will be looking at the previous research devoted language of job advertisements, resumes, job interviews, letters of recommendation and performance reviews in order to uncover the gender-specific language and its possible effect on women's employability and analyzing the language of the public professional recommendations. Methodology and sources. We looked at the research devoted to the gender-biased language in the workplace in the last ten years which helped us to formulate three hypotheses. Then we tested these hypotheses against the data we collected from 80 public professional profiles of male and female managers. Our goal was to discover quantitative differences in usage of communal and agentic terms in reference to men and women. Results and discussion. Confirming previous findings we found out that the difference in usage of agentic terms is statistically significant across genders. Men are more often described as "leaders", "mentors", and "achievers" and attributed sense of humor than women. On the other hand, communal terms are equally used for both male and female managers. Conclusion. The gendered language can be found in all texts related to recruitment and promotion and maybe one of the reasons for the professional gender-gap. Continuous research on the topic and bringing awareness to human resource professionals and career coaches may be helpful in improving inclusion and diversity especially in higher management of the companies and in academia.

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“…Previous studies show that gender bias begins early in a medical career, starting with the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) and specialty-specific letters of recommendation, required for all applications to US residency programs (20)(21)(22)(23)(24). In these performance evaluations and letters of recommendation, evaluators are more likely to describe male students using agentic standout words (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linguistic Analysis of Pediatric Residency Personal Statements: Gender Differences

Babal

Gower

Frohna

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background: All US residency programs require applicants to submit personal statements. Prior studies showed gender differences in personal statement writing, which has implications for gender bias in the application process, but previous studies have not considered the dual influence of specialty-specific values on personal statement writing by applicants of each gender. Objective: To understand gender differences in pediatric residency personal statements Methods: From 2017-2018, we performed linguistic analysis of personal statements written by interviewees at a mid-size US pediatrics residency during two prior academic years. We assessed writing tone, communal language, and agentic language. We performed t-tests to evaluate for gender differences, p<0.05. Results: We analyzed personal statements from 85 male and 85 female interviewees. Average word count was 676 words. Personal statements demonstrated analytic writing style with authentic and positive emotional tone. We found no gender differences in communal language for social affiliation (p=0.31), adjectives (p=0.49), or orientation (p=0.48), which deviates from typical gender norms for male language use. Males used agentic language of reward more frequently (p=0.02). Conclusions: Findings suggest that social language is valued in pediatrics, a predominantly female specialty, regardless of applicant gender. Use of reward language by males is consistent with previous findings. Future studies should evaluate gender differences in residency applications across specialties to advance understanding of the role gender plays in the application process.

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Influence of Gender on Surgical Residency Applicants’ Recommendation Letters

Cited by 155 publications

References 21 publications

A survey of criteria used to evaluate applications for small animal surgery residency positions

A survey of criteria used to evaluate applications for small animal surgery residency positions

Gender-Biased Language of the Workplace

Linguistic Analysis of Pediatric Residency Personal Statements: Gender Differences

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