Department of Surgery, Washington University, Surgery, St. Louis, Missouri.
Department of Surgery, Washington University, Surgery, St. Louis, Missouri.
J Surg Res. 2024 Jan;293:580-586. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2023.09.023. Epub 2023 Oct 11.
Preference signaling was introduced for general surgery in the 2021-2022 virtual recruitment cycle. Despite guidance from the Association of American Medical Colleges, how applicants and programs used and interpreted signals varied greatly. We set out to assess how applicants utilized their allotted signals.
An institutional review board-approved anonymous online survey was distributed to applicants interviewing at a single large academic institution for the Match 2022. Using Likert-type scales, applicants were asked to rate their agreement with a variety of statements regarding perceptions of fit for signaled and nonsignaled programs.
44 survey responses were received (37% response rate), and 50% (n = 22) came from applicants using fit for guide their preference signaling. 36% of applicants signaling for fit agreed that virtual recruitment improved their perceptions of fit for signaled programs versus 32% of applicants not signaling for fit (P = 0.751). Regarding nonsignaled programs, 50% of applicants signaling for fit agreed that virtual recruitment improved their perceptions of fit versus 23% of applicants not signaling for fit (P = 0.060). More applicants not signaling for fit disagreed that their perceptions of fit for nonsignaled programs improved throughout the cycle compared to applicants signaling for fit (32% versus 5%, P = 0.019).
Perceptions of fit for signaled and nonsignaled programs improved for applicants who based their signaling on fit, but not necessarily for applicants using other strategies. Signaling is an important tool for applicants as it increases their odds of being interviewed; further research is needed to fully understand its role in recruitment for general surgery and to best advice applicants.
偏好信号在 2021-2022 年虚拟招聘周期中被引入普通外科。尽管美国医学协会提供了指导，但申请人和项目对信号的使用和解释差异很大。我们着手评估申请人如何利用他们的分配信号。
对在一家大型学术机构参加 2022 年 Match 的申请人进行了一项机构审查委员会批准的匿名在线调查。申请人使用李克特量表对与信号和非信号程序的适配感知相关的各种陈述进行了评价。
共收到 44 份调查回复（回复率为 37%），其中 50%（n=22）来自根据适配度指导信号偏好的申请人。36%的信号适配度的申请人认为虚拟招聘改善了他们对信号程序的适配度感知，而 32%的非信号适配度的申请人则不认同（P=0.751）。对于非信号程序，50%的信号适配度的申请人认为虚拟招聘改善了他们对适配度的感知，而 23%的非信号适配度的申请人则不认同（P=0.060）。与信号适配度的申请人相比，更多的非信号适配度的申请人不同意他们对非信号程序的适配度感知在整个周期中得到了改善（32%对 5%，P=0.019）。
基于适配度进行信号选择的申请人对信号程序和非信号程序的适配度感知有所改善，但使用其他策略的申请人则不然。信号是申请人的一个重要工具，因为它增加了他们获得面试的机会；需要进一步研究，以充分了解其在普通外科招聘中的作用，并为申请人提供最佳建议。
