• M Edmond, M Roberson, and N Hasan.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0509, USA. medmond@hsc.vcu.edu
• Acad Med. 1999 Sep 1;74(9):1033-5.

PurposeTo quantify the censure of potentially negative information in dean's letters.MethodConcordance between 532 dean's letters and the corresponding transcripts was determined for six variables (failing grade in a preclinical course, marginal preclinical course grade, failing grade for a clinical rotation, marginal clinical rotation grade, leave of absence, and requirement to repeat an entire year of medical school).ResultsThe evaluated variables were not found in the dean's letters 27% to 50% of the time that they were present on the transcripts. In three of nine instances (33%), a failing grade in a clinical rotation was not included. Four students had been required to repeat an entire year, but this was noted in only two cases. In toto, 35 of 104 (34%) of the variables identified on the transcripts were not reported. In addition, deans were significantly less likely to report a student's USMLE 1 score if the score was at or below the 20th percentile (p = .03).ConclusionSome deans suppress negative information in their letters and potentially obfuscate the residency selection process.

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