Journal of graduate medical education
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The increase in applications to residency programs, known as "application inflation," creates challenges for program directors (PDs). Prior studies have shown that internal medicine (IM) PDs utilize criteria, such as United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step examination performance, when reviewing applications. However, little is known about how early these filters are utilized in the application review cycle. ⋯ Results from the 2016 IM-ITE PD Survey indicate many IM PDs use filters for initial application screening, and that these filters, when available to applicants, do not affect many applicants' decisions to apply.
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Over the past decade, the number of residency applications has increased substantially, causing many residency programs to change their recruitment practices. ⋯ IM residency programs are experiencing an increasing number of applications and are accommodating by adjusting recruitment practices in a variety of ways. A majority of IM PDs supported 4 of the 5 solutions, although the level of interest differed by program type.