Bias Reduction in Academic Recruitment

NCT05616065 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 22-029
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 212
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to determine if, with respect to medical students applying for residency in emergency medicine, prior knowledge of an applicant's academic record affects their ranking during their interviews. Attendings interviewing candidates will either be blinded to their prior academic records or be allowed to review them prior to the interview. The interviewer's final score of the applicant will be measured, comparing blinded versus unblinded assessors.

Conditions

Internship and Residency; Interview; Education, Medical

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Assessor recommendation for match list position

  Assessors will be asked to score their applicant, 1-10, with 1 corresponding to a Do Not Rank recommendation, 2-4 with lower third of list, 5-7 middle third of list, and 8-10 upper third of list.

  Immediately after interview

Study Arms (2)

Blinded

EXPERIMENTAL

Interviewers will be assigned a candidate to interview. They will be asked not to review the medical school transcripts or standardized test scores (USMLE, COMLEX). They will be permitted to review personal statements, letters or recommendation, and other personal information in the application.

Other: Blinding to academic performance of candidate

Unblinded

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Interviewers will be assigned a candidate to interview. They will be given full permission to review the full application of their candidate as per their normal interview protocol.

Other: Usual Interview methodology

Interventions

Blinding to academic performance of candidate OTHER

Each candidate applying to our program will be interviewed by three core faculty. One of them will be selected, a priori, to be asked not to view a candidate's academic performance (medical school transcripts, standardized test scores). This will not be randomized. Instead, it shall be set up so that each assessor has two blinded candidates to interview each day scheduled. Given that different faculty will be scheduled each day, it may end up that certain faculty will be blinded more than others.

Blinded

Usual Interview methodology OTHER

Each candidate applying to our program will be interviewed by three core faculty. Two of them will be selected, a priori, to be asked to interview their candidates as they see fit.

Unblinded

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All candidates who have or are anticipating completing their medical school education, and have applied for a position in our residency during the 2022-2023 match cycle.

You may not qualify if:

• Candidates our program declined to grant an interview spot or have canceled their interview prior to completing it.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Community Medical Center, Toms River, NJ: lead

Study Sites (1)

Community Medical Center

Toms River, New Jersey, 08755, United States

Location

Related Publications (12)

• Kiraly L, Dewey E, Brasel K. Hawks and Doves: Adjusting for Bias in Residency Interview Scoring. J Surg Educ. 2020 Nov-Dec;77(6):e132-e137. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.08.013. Epub 2020 Aug 27.

  PMID: 32863174 BACKGROUND

• Poon S, Nellans K, Rothman A, Crabb RAL, Wendolowski SF, Kiridly D, Gecelter R, Gorroochurn P, Chahine NO. Underrepresented Minority Applicants Are Competitive for Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs, but Enter Residency at Lower Rates. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2019 Nov 1;27(21):e957-e968. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-17-00811.

  PMID: 30614894 BACKGROUND

• Hughes RH, Kleinschmidt S, Sheng AY. Using structured interviews to reduce bias in emergency medicine residency recruitment: Worth a second look. AEM Educ Train. 2021 Sep 1;5(Suppl 1):S130-S134. doi: 10.1002/aet2.10562. eCollection 2021 Sep. No abstract available.

  PMID: 34616987 BACKGROUND

• Williams AL, Blomkalns AL, Gibler WB. Residency training in emergency medicine: the challenges of the 21st century. Keio J Med. 2004 Dec;53(4):203-9. doi: 10.2302/kjm.53.203.

  PMID: 15647626 BACKGROUND

• Balhara KS, Weygandt PL, Ehmann MR, Regan L. Navigating Bias on Interview Day: Strategies for Charting an Inclusive and Equitable Course. J Grad Med Educ. 2021 Aug;13(4):466-470. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-21-00001.1. Epub 2021 Aug 13. No abstract available.

  PMID: 34434507 BACKGROUND

• Theiss LM, Prather JC, Porterfield JR, Corey B, Chen H, McGwin G, Johnson MD, Theiss SM. Prevalence, Bias, and Rank List Impact of Illegal Questions in Surgical Specialty Residency Interviews. J Surg Educ. 2022 Jan-Feb;79(1):69-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2021.07.015. Epub 2021 Aug 13.

  PMID: 34400121 BACKGROUND

• DeSantis M, Marco CA. Emergency medicine residency selection: factors influencing candidate decisions. Acad Emerg Med. 2005 Jun;12(6):559-61. doi: 10.1197/j.aem.2005.01.006.

  PMID: 15930408 BACKGROUND

• Smilen SW, Funai EF, Bianco AT. Residency selection: should interviewers be given applicants' board scores? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2001 Feb;184(3):508-13. doi: 10.1067/mob.2001.109868.

  PMID: 11228511 BACKGROUND

• Haas MRC, He S, Sternberg K, Jordan J, Deiorio NM, Chan TM, Yarris LM. Reimagining Residency Selection: Part 1-A Practical Guide to Recruitment in the Post-COVID-19 Era. J Grad Med Educ. 2020 Oct;12(5):539-544. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-20-00907.1. No abstract available.

  PMID: 33149819 BACKGROUND

• Sternberg K, Jordan J, Haas MRC, He S, Deiorio NM, Yarris LM, Chan TM. Reimagining Residency Selection: Part 2-A Practical Guide to Interviewing in the Post-COVID-19 Era. J Grad Med Educ. 2020 Oct;12(5):545-549. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-20-00911.1. No abstract available.

  PMID: 33149820 BACKGROUND

• Jordan J, Sternberg K, Haas MRC, He S, Yarris LM, Chan TM, Deiorio NM. Reimagining Residency Selection: Part 3-A Practical Guide to Ranking Applicants in the Post-COVID-19 Era. J Grad Med Educ. 2020 Dec;12(6):666-670. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-20-01087.1. Epub 2020 Dec 18. No abstract available.

  PMID: 33391587 BACKGROUND

• Stephenson-Famy A, Houmard BS, Oberoi S, Manyak A, Chiang S, Kim S. Use of the Interview in Resident Candidate Selection: A Review of the Literature. J Grad Med Educ. 2015 Dec;7(4):539-48. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-14-00236.1.

  PMID: 26692964 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Joel Kravitz, MD

  Associate Program Director, Emergency Medicine Residency

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 7, 2022
• First Posted: November 15, 2022
• Study Start: October 12, 2022
• Primary Completion: February 8, 2023
• Study Completion: February 8, 2023
• Last Updated: April 19, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)