- Page navigation anchor for Canadian Resident Matching Service: are we trying to reinvent the wheel?Canadian Resident Matching Service: are we trying to reinvent the wheel?
I hear McInnes's frustration with residency candidate selection,<1> but believe a program director can modify its own selection process to fit its need. One can organize multiple mini-interviews and entrance quiz on the interview day, and have evaluators to give a so-called “objective score” for each candidate. However, I would like to remind that residency selection process is often based on 7 CanMEDS roles – being a scholar is only one of them.<2> McInnes is incorrect to say that only Canada has an entirely pass-fail system. In Britain, which has a winnowing process,<3> school examination marks aid selection of interns (called “foundation-years”), but are irrelevant for subsequent core and specialty training selection processes. Moreover, “objective” scores could also be subjective. A study of 5095 GP Royal College exam candidates showed that ethnic minorities scored lower than the white counterparts, suggesting subjective bias.<4> Readers are probably misled by Persad’s letter, which apparently praises the British system to be more applicant-centred and objective.<5> I wonder why an admirer of the British system is currently enrolled in a Canadian but not British program.
There could be bitterness among students and directors who cannot match to their desired programs and candidates, respectively. However, even if residency programs adopt an entirely “objective” scoring system, we would also hear unsuccessful candidates complain...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: I have been paid for working as a resident physician in Canada and Britain, but not for writing this letter.
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