Perceptions and Priorities Among Anesthesia Program Directors Evaluating Residency Applications: 

Alexander Glehan MS, Farzana Afroze MD

Abstract:

Objective: Anesthesiology is an increasingly competitive specialty with a growing number of applicants. This study explored criteria, metrics and opinions regarding application components used by anesthesiology program directors (PDs) to evaluate prospective residents.
Study design: Cross-sectional survey.
Methods: A 16-item anonymous questionnaire was designed using Qualtrics to survey anesthesiology PDs throughout the United States. The survey was administered between April and June 2024.
Results: We received 49 responses from PDs. Thirty-four (34/49 = 68.4%) PDs did not agree with United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 becoming pass/fail. Twenty-two programs (22/49 = 44.9%) employ a minimum Step 2 score to evaluate applicants. The 3 most important metrics used in evaluating applicants are as follows (mean; 1-10 Likert scale): signals (8.57), Step 2 score (7.55) and clerkship grades (7.35). All respondents (49/49 = 100.0%) reported that the competitiveness of their programs has increased within the last 5 years.
Conclusion: The importance of Step 2 has increased to help triage anesthesiology applicants. Applicants should focus on achieving at least a 240 on Step 2 to minimize their chances of being screened out by programs. PDs who disagreed with Step 1 becoming pass/fail placed greater emphasis on Step 2 scores. However, survey results indicate that signals may be as critical as Step 2 scores. Programs with more applicants or those that are highly ranked may fall into this category, and applicants must make sure to consider this when assigning signals. This survey was designed to guide medical students applying to anesthesiology residency.