Gender Differences in Self-Description: A Linguistic Analysis of Orthopedic Surgery Residency Application Personal Statements.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read More Add to Saved list
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101303204 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-7452 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 18787452 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Surg Educ Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: New York, N.Y. : Elsevier
    • Subject Terms:
      Internship and Residency* ; Orthopedics*/education ; Linguistics*; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Adult
    • Abstract:
      Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess differences in language characteristics in personal statements written by male and female applicants to an orthopedic surgery residency program.
      Design: This is a blinded retrospective analysis of personal statements from all applicants to an orthopedic surgery residency training program during 1 application cycle. Language characteristics were analyzed using a linguistic analysis software. This software evaluated 19 variables, including word count, 4 summary language variables (analytical thinking, clout, authenticity, and emotional tone), and 14 additional word categories.
      Setting: Our study took place at [institution].
      Participants: All applications submitted during the 2018-2019 residency application cycle were analyzed. 889 applicants were included in the study based on exclusion criteria, which omitted the 5 applicants who ultimately matched at our institution, as well as non-US citizens.
      Results: Word count was not statistically significant between groups. Amongst the summary language variables, authenticity was higher in female applicants (p = 0.0142). Of the selected word categories, males averaged a higher score in certainty (p = 0.0418), while females averaged higher scores in curiosity (p = 0.0102), perception (p = 0.0486), and attention (p = 0.0293).
      Conclusions: Subtle differences exist in the language characteristics of personal statements written by male and female applicants to orthopedic surgery residency. The implications of our findings would be strengthened by new data on specific language characteristics and communication skills most desired by orthopedic program directors. Lastly, as evaluation metrics for residency applications continue to change, personal statements may assume an even more important role.
      (Copyright © 2024 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: gender differences; orthopedic surgery; personal statement; residency application
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20241009 Date Completed: 20241116 Latest Revision: 20241116
    • Publication Date:
      20241118
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.jsurg.2024.09.007
    • Accession Number:
      39383637