Abstract
Background Candidate characteristics for hand surgery fellowship training remains unknown, as very little data is available in the literature. This study aims to provide information on the criteria that are employed to select candidates for the hand surgery fellowship match. Methods A 38-question survey was sent in April 2015 to all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recognized hand surgery fellowship program directors (n=81) involved in the U.S. match. The survey investigated factors used for the selection of applicants, including medical school, residency training, research experience, fellowship interview, and candidate characteristics. A 5-point Likert scale was used to grade 33 factors from "not at all important" (1) to "essential in making my decision" (5); or for five controversial factors from "very negative impact" (1) to "very positive impact in making my decision" (5). Results A total of 52% (42 out of 81) of responses were received from hand surgery fellowship program directors. The most important influential factors were interactions with faculty during interview and visit ($4.6{\pm}0.6$), interpersonal skills ($4.6{\pm}0.5$), overall interview performance in the selection process ($4.6{\pm}0.6$), professionalism and ethics ($4.6{\pm}0.7$), and letters of recommendation from hand surgeons ($4.5{\pm}0.7$). Factors that have a negative impact on the selection process include visa requirement ($2.1{\pm}1.2$), graduate of non-plastic surgery residency program ($2.4{\pm}1.3$), and graduate of a foreign medical school ($2.4{\pm}1.1$). Conclusions This study provides data on hand surgery fellowship directors' perception on the criteria important for fellowship applicant selection, and showed that interview-related criteria and letters of recommendation are the important factors.