Importance of residency applicant factors based on specialty and demographics: a national survey of program directors

With the transition away from traditional numerical grades/scores, residency applicant factors such as service, research, leadership, and extra-curricular activities may become more critical in the application process. To assess the importance of residency application factors reported by program directors (PDs), stratified by director demographics and specialty. A questionnaire was electronically distributed to 4241 residency PDs in 23 specialties during spring 2022 and included questions on PD demographics and 22 residency applicant factors, including demographics, academic history, research involvement, and extracurricular activities. Responses were measured using a Likert scale for importance. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square and Fisher exact test analysis were performed. 767 questionnaires were completed (19