The Role of Letters of Recommendation in the Selection Process of Surgical Residents in Canada: A National Survey of Program Directors.

OBJECTIVE: Letters of recommendation (LOR) provide valuable information that help in selecting new residents. In this study, we aim to investigate the perceptions of surgical residency program directors (PDs) in Canada on the elements that can affect the strength and value of LOR.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional; survey.

SETTING: A national survey was conducted using an online questionnaire consisting of 2 main sections to collect data from PDs from all surgical subspecialties. The first section included basic background questions about the participant, such as the specialty and experience in selecting resident candidates, whereas the second section was about the elements and characteristics of LOR. Participants were asked to rate the importance of 34 different variables using a Likert scale.

PARTICIPANTS: Surgical PDs in Canada.

RESULTS: Of 122 PDs, 65 (53.3%) participated in the survey. Work ethic (57; 87.7%), interpersonal skills (52; 80.0%), and teamwork (49; 75.4%) were considered very important parts of the LOR by more than three-quarters of the PDs. Thirty-three (50.8%) PDs reported that a familiar author of LOR would always affect their impression regarding the letter. Additionally, 57 (87.7%) and 35 (53.8%) directors thought that LOR are important in evaluating the candidates and can help in predicting the residents' performance during their residency training.

CONCLUSIONS: LOR are important for the selection of new surgical residents in Canada. Information about the candidate's work ethic, interpersonal skills, and teamwork is essential for a good LOR. Familiarity of PDs with authors of LOR could increase the value of the letter.