A survey of ophthalmology and otolaryngology residency program directors was conducted to determine the extent to which National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Part I scores are used in selection of residents in these highly competitive specialty fields. Results from 218 completed questionnaires representing nearly 90% of all US ophthalmology and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery programs were analyzed. More than three fourths indicated that Part I NBME scores were used in selecting residents; more than half of the programs used these scores as a means to determine whom to interview. The direct use of NBME scores in the residency application process is widespread; however, such use of NBME scores is not consistent with the purposes of the National Board. The preeminent role of the faculty in the evaluation of medical students and in the assessment of their clinical competence needs emphasis.
The trend toward increasing numbers of working women may alter the ways both men and women physicians structure their professional lives. The 1987 graduates of residency and fellowship programs at the University of Minnesota Medical School--Minneapolis were surveyed in June 1987 about professional plans and factors that led to their decisions. The women expected that their spouses would contribute half of their family's income, whereas the men expected that they would be largely responsible for their family's income. The married women with children planned on working fewer hours than did other physicians. Family structure may play an important role in preventing the convergence of men and women physicians' personal incomes or working hours.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.