What Selection Criteria Do Orthopaedic Program Directors Value Most? (Taken from JBJS article Nov 2002)
Academic Criteria
Wagoner and Suriano found that, as a specialty becomes more competitive, its residency programs rely more heavily on academic credentials when screening applicant pools 1,5,6,9. Orthopaedics, which ranks among the most competitive surgical subspecialties, has been shown to place the highest value on objective criteria, such as United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, class rank, and membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, in screening applicants for residency programs 3,5,6,13. Orthopaedic program directors are particularly prone to emphasize the value of the applicant's cognitive knowledge. This is demonstrated by the Residency Review Committee's requirement that, to maintain accreditation, orthopaedic surgery residency programs must have a pass rate of 75% on the Part-I certification examination of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons by residents who take it for the first time 12,15. Our study supports the notion that program directors highly value candidates' academic credentials, because USMLE scores, medical school class rank, and Alpha Omega Alpha membership were all among their top ten selection criteria 13 (Table I).
Clark et al. reported that membership in Alpha Omega Alpha was one of the strongest predictors of a successful application to an orthopaedic residency program; however, <20% of the successful candidates in their study were members 3. Wagoner and Suriano concluded that membership in Alpha Omega Alpha is likely to carry considerable weight with orthopaedic program directors in the initial screening of large candidate pools 5. Simon remarked on the orthopaedic program directors' utilization of USMLE scores and Alpha Omega Alpha membership status when deciding on which applicants to select for interviews 12. Our study found that the majority (54%) of residents who matched to orthopaedic programs during the last three years were members of Alpha Omega Alpha. Furthermore, a majority (65%) of the responding program directors in our study reported that 50% of their matching residents during the past three years were members of Alpha Omega Alpha 13. Membership in Alpha Omega Alpha continues to be highly valued by orthopaedic residency program directors, as is evident from these percentages and by its rating among the top ten selection criteria in the first part of our questionnaire 13 (Table I). However, membership in Alpha Omega Alpha is certainly not a requirement for gaining admission to an orthopaedic residency program as 30% of the program directors in our study evaluated candidates regardless of their membership status 13
