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Emergency Medicine Standardized Letter of Recommendation: Predictors of Guaranteed Match
Author(s) -
Girzadas Daniel V.,
Harwood Robert C.,
Delis Steve N.,
Stevison Kathleen,
Keng George,
Cipparrone Nancy,
Carlson Andrea,
Tsonis George D.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2001.tb00179.x
Subject(s) - medicine , logistic regression , univariate , odds ratio , univariate analysis , odds , family medicine , multivariate analysis , statistics , multivariate statistics , mathematics
.Objective: The Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR) has become a common, reliable, and useful tool in the evaluation of emergency medicine (EM) applicants. A “guaranteed match” (GM) is the SLOR's bottom‐line superlative response. It is also the SLOR's least common superlative response. Because candidates receiving a GM are a select group, the authors thought it would be useful to identify SLOR information that predicts a GM recommendation. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a database of all EM SLORs submitted to a single EM residency during the 1998‐1999 application cycle to one EM residency program. Response to GM and 16 data points in the background/qualification sections were analyzed by chi‐square, univariate analysis, and logistic regression. Results: Four hundred eleven SLORs were analyzed. Qualification information was more predictive than background information for applicants receiving a GM. The highest univariate odds ratios for background information were “staff author” (OR = 1.7, 1.0‐2.8), “extended contact” (OR = 2.2, 1.0‐4.5), “clinical contact outside the ED” (OR = 3.0, 1.5‐5.9), and “honors on EM rotation” (OR = 5.4, 3.0‐9.8). The highest univariate odds ratios for qualification information were “outstanding differential diagnosis ability” (OR = 10.1, 5.8‐17.4), “outstanding work ethic” (OR = 13.1, 5.2‐33.3), and “outstanding global assessment” (OR = 58, 24.2‐139). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated “outstanding global assessment” (p < 0.000; r = 0.92) and “outstanding work ethic” (p = 0.028; r = 0.71) to be statistically predictive of GM. Conclusions: There were both background and qualification data points predictive of a “guaranteed match.” Qualification information had a greater predictive value than background information. Medical student applicants, letter writers, and letter evaluators may find this information useful when dealing with SLORs.