Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Selection and Admissions: Intentions and Perceptions

This study explores residents’ and faculty members’ experiences of the selection and admissions process in postgraduate medical education (PGME). The purpose of the study is to understand how postgraduate residency programs make selection and admissions decisions and how residents believe those decisions are made. Faculty and residents from a Family Medicine program and a Paediatrics program at a large university were interviewed to determine the potential degree of alignment between the programs’ intended selection and admissions processes and the residents’ perceptions of these processes. This research provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on their experiences in their role as an applicant, a committee member, a file reviewer, an interviewer and/or an administrator in the PGME selection and admissions process. Gaining a better understanding of the intentions and perceptions of the PGME selection and admissions process from both faculty and residents has the potential to enhance the PGME selection and admissions process through increased transparency and common understanding of faculty members’ and residents’ experiences. Individual interviews were conducted with faculty to understand how postgraduate residency programs make admissions decisions. Individual interviews were conducted with residents to determine how they believe those decisions are made. Borrowing elements from a phenomenological methodological approach within an interpretivist research paradigm allowed for flexibility in the way data were collected and analyzed Both faculty and residents viewed the process as complex and difficult to navigate. The two groups differed in their perceptions of the characteristics of the ideal applicant, the relative weights of selection criteria, possible biases of the selection committee, red flags, the best methodologies for selecting applicants, and common vulnerabilities in the process. The discussion highlights the importance of faculty members’ and residents’ development of their individual and professional identity through the PGME selection and admissions process. Findings of this study can inform future decisions in refining the process and communications about the process.Ph.D