Importance of the Emergency Medicine Application Components: The Medical Student Perception

Background The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) application has several elements. With limited time and resources, students must prioritize the key application elements on which to focus. It is unclear if medical students applying to emergency medicine (EM) prioritize the same items as program directors. Objective We sought to determine medical student perception of the importance of each factor of the NRMP application to an EM residency. Methods This was a cross-sectional study approved by the Institutional Review Board at an academic tertiary care Level I trauma center. A pilot-tested and validated survey tool was given to all medical students rotating in EM during an 18-month period. The students ranked each application item on a 5-point scale (1 = not important and 5 = very important) with verbal anchors. Results Of 136 medical students, 85.3% responded. Excluded were 31% who were not planning to apply to EM, leaving 80 responses for analysis. Items ranked higher were EM rotation grade, interview, clinical rotation grades, and letters of recommendation. Less emphasis was placed on Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor society status, publication in medical literature, and personal statement. Items most agreed upon and believed to be most important by the students were EM rotation grade, interviews, and clinical rotation grades. Conclusions This is similar to previously reported rankings by program directors. Although medical students agreed on the importance of most aspects of the NRMP application, areas of discordance included emphasis on extracurricular activities and AOA. This can have implications for medical student mentoring and advising.