Standardizing Letters of Recommendation for Surgical Training Programs

Letters of recommendation are crucial for applicant selection in medical education. The shift to pass/fail USMLE scoring has increased their importance. Narratives may introduce bias and inflation. Standardized letters can address these issues. Interviews and focus groups informed the development of a new standardized letter for surgical residency applications. Researchers were also invited to revise existing standardized letters for a post-graduate training program.