Marwan Yousef, Waly Feras, Algarni Nizar, Addar Abdullah, Saran Neil, Snell Linda
Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Al-Razi Orthopaedic Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
J Surg Educ. 2017 Jul-Aug;74(4):762-767. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2017.01.006. Epub 2017 Jan 23.
Letters of recommendation (LOR) provide valuable information that help in selecting new residents. In this study, we aim to investigate the perceptions of surgical residency program directors (PDs) in Canada on the elements that can affect the strength and value of LOR.
Cross-sectional; survey.
A national survey was conducted using an online questionnaire consisting of 2 main sections to collect data from PDs from all surgical subspecialties. The first section included basic background questions about the participant, such as the specialty and experience in selecting resident candidates, whereas the second section was about the elements and characteristics of LOR. Participants were asked to rate the importance of 34 different variables using a Likert scale.
Surgical PDs in Canada.
Of 122 PDs, 65 (53.3%) participated in the survey. Work ethic (57; 87.7%), interpersonal skills (52; 80.0%), and teamwork (49; 75.4%) were considered very important parts of the LOR by more than three-quarters of the PDs. Thirty-three (50.8%) PDs reported that a familiar author of LOR would always affect their impression regarding the letter. Additionally, 57 (87.7%) and 35 (53.8%) directors thought that LOR are important in evaluating the candidates and can help in predicting the residents' performance during their residency training.
LOR are important for the selection of new surgical residents in Canada. Information about the candidate's work ethic, interpersonal skills, and teamwork is essential for a good LOR. Familiarity of PDs with authors of LOR could increase the value of the letter.
推荐信能提供有助于选拔新住院医师的宝贵信息。在本研究中，我们旨在调查加拿大外科住院医师培训项目主任（PDs）对可能影响推荐信强度和价值的因素的看法。
横断面研究；调查。
通过一份由两个主要部分组成的在线问卷进行全国性调查，以收集所有外科亚专业的项目主任的数据。第一部分包括关于参与者的基本背景问题，如在选拔住院医师候选人方面的专业和经验，而第二部分是关于推荐信的要素和特征。要求参与者使用李克特量表对34个不同变量的重要性进行评分。
加拿大的外科项目主任。
122名项目主任中，65名（53.3%）参与了调查。超过四分之三的项目主任认为职业道德（57名；87.7%）、人际交往能力（52名；80.0%）和团队合作（49名；75.4%）是推荐信中非常重要的部分。33名（50.8%）项目主任报告说，熟悉的推荐信作者总会影响他们对推荐信的印象。此外，57名（87.7%）和35名（53.8%）主任认为推荐信在评估候选人方面很重要，并且有助于预测住院医师培训期间的表现。
推荐信对加拿大新外科住院医师的选拔很重要。关于候选人职业道德、人际交往能力和团队合作的信息对于一份好的推荐信至关重要。项目主任对推荐信作者的熟悉程度可能会增加推荐信的价值。
