The standardized letter of evaluation in emergency medicine: Are the qualifications useful?

Abstract

Objectives:The standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE) in emergency medicine (EM) is a widely used metric for determining interview invitations and ranking of candidates. Previous research has questioned the validity of certain sections of the SLOE.However, there remains a paucity of literature on the qualifications for EM section, which evaluates seven attributes of applicants. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the qualifications questions and grades, global assessment, and anticipated rank list position for EM applicants.Methods: A multi-institutional cross-sectional study was performed using SLOEs from applicants to three geographically distinct U.S. EM residency programs during the 2019-2020 application cycle. We abstracted EM rotation grade, qualifications scores, global assessment, and anticipated rank list position from the SLOEs. A Spearman correlation was calculated between each of the qualifications scores and the applicant's grades, global assessment, and anticipated rank list position in a pairwise fashion.

Gender differences in emergency medicine standardized letters of evaluation

“…We converted the GA and RL to a four‐point and five‐point scale. While this was consistent with prior research, the differences in percentages are not even across groups 10 . Additionally, our study was conducted during the 2019–2020 application year and does not reflect other application years, particularly the impact of COVID‐19 in the subsequent academic years.…”

“…While this was consistent with prior research, the differences in percentages are not even across groups. 10 Additionally, our study was conducted during the 2019-2020 application year and does not reflect other application years, particularly the impact of COVID-19 in the subsequent academic years. While this study captured two-thirds of all US EM applicants, it is limited to those applied to the included programs and may not reflect all EM applicant SLOEs.…”

“…While one prior study has evaluated RL, this was limited to a single institution with a small study population and did not examine the Global Assessment (GA) or the 7 Qualifications for EM (7QEM) questions 9 . Moreover, data suggest that the 7QEM may differ from grades alone, emphasizing a potential unique role for these components of the SLOE 10 . As the Step 1 examination transitions to pass/fail, there may be an increased emphasis on SLOE in applicant selection process, prompting a need to better assess for potential bias in this tool.…”

“…9 Moreover, data suggest that the 7QEM may differ from grades alone, emphasizing a potential unique role for these components of the SLOE. 10 As the Step 1 examination transitions to pass/fail, there may be an increased emphasis on SLOE in applicant selection process, prompting a need to better assess for potential bias in this tool.…”

Automated abstraction of information from standard letters of evaluation: A resource for file review and research

“…2 Decades of research and refinement have led to the current SLOE format and process, which includes the electronic SLOE (eSLOE) platform. 2,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Introduced in 2016, the eSLOE platform is where SLOEs are completed on the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) website and all SLOE information is stored in a central database. 12 To protect learner privacy, access to this database is restricted.…”