Improve Anesthesiology Education and the Specialty by sharing the Personal Statements of Residency Applicants

Abstract

Most applicants for United States anesthesiology residency training programs include a personal statement in their application. In these statements, residents describe their interests, strengths, and plans. Program faculty and specialty leaders do not generally have access to these statements and no public repository of personal statements or description of their current contents exists. After studying the personal statements of anesthesiology applicants accepted for an interview at our residency training program and characterizing their contents, we recommend wider availability of these statements. Nearly all applicants reported events that guided their philosophies and plans. Most describe how their unique backgrounds and skills should qualify them for successful practice. If resident personal statements were available to all program faculty, they could better understand the diverse backgrounds of residents, find suitable mentors, leverage their unique skills, help them with life stresses, and improve recruitment. When asked, residents willingly shared their statements. If resident personal statements were published anonymously, they could educate the public about the specialty.