"Cold feet": A qualitative study of medical students who seriously considered emergency medicine but chose another specialty.

Introduction: Emergency medicine (EM) has historically been among the most competitive specialties in the United States. However, in 2022 and 2023, 219 of 2921 and 554 of 3010 respective National Resident Matching Program positions were initially unfilled. Medical students' selection of a medical specialty is a complex process. To better understand recent trends in the EM residency match, this qualitative study explored through one-on-one interviews the rationale of senior medical students who seriously considered EM but ultimately pursued another specialty. Methods: A convenience sample of senior medical students from across the United States was recruited via multiple mechanisms after the 2023 match. Participant characteristics were collected via an online survey. Qualitative data were generated through a series of one-on-one semistructured interviews and thematic analysis of the data was performed using a constant comparative approach. Results: Sixteen senior medical students from 12 different institutions participated in the study. Thematic saturation was reached after 12 interviews but data from all 16 interviews were included for qualitative analyses. Five major themes emerged as important in students' consideration but ultimate rejection of EM as a career: (1) innate features of EM attracted or dissuaded students, (2) widespread awareness of a recent workforce report, (3) burnout in EM, (4) their perception of EM's standing in the health care landscape, and (5) early EM experience and exposure. Conclusions: This qualitative study identified five major themes in the career decisions of senior medical students who seriously considered EM but chose another specialty. These findings may help inform the perceptions of students and guide future EM recruitment efforts.

Do emergency medicine residents have access to healthy food options during work hours?

Background: Relatively little data describe how diet and food choices impact trainee well-being despite evidence that diet impacts both physical and mental health. The objective was to describe food options available to emergency medicine (EM) residents when on duty. Methods: A survey utilizing closed-ended, binary, rank-order responses was developed by experts in graduate medical education and wellness; it was piloted, revised, and then electronically distributed to 211 EM residency programs over 2 weeks in 2021. The program director (PD) or associate PD was invited to participate. Results: A total of 114 EM programs participated (54%). The primary teaching site included 43 community hospitals, 23 county hospitals, and 48 university hospitals. Resident access to an onsite hospital cafeteria was most common (97%); other onsite options were vending machines (87%), fresh food fridges (34%), national chains (32%), local restaurants (25%), food trucks (30%), and farmer's markets (11%). More than one-third (38%) reported that onsite options did not include healthy food, 26% reported being dissatisfied with onsite food, and 35% rarely or never purchased food onsite. Most programs (89%) do not have a dedicated "meal break" for residents while on duty. Few residency programs include diet or nutrition classes or counseling. When programs sponsor meals during residency events, nutritional value and dietary considerations were ranked less important than cost of food and convenience. Conclusions: Access to healthy food options is not always available during scheduled resident work hours, and dedicated meal breaks are infrequent. These data should inform institutional initiatives to improve the health and well-being of resident physicians.

The Standardized Letter of Evaluation Narrative: Differences in Language Use by Gender.

INTRODUCTION: Prior research demonstrates gender differences in language used in letters of recommendation. The emergency medicine (EM) Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) format limits word count and provides detailed instructions for writers. The objective of this study is to examine differences in language used to describe men and women applicants within the SLOE narrative. METHODS: All applicants to a four-year academic EM residency program within a single application year with a first rotation SLOE available were included in the sample. We used the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program to analyze word frequency within 16 categories. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared, and t-tests were used to describe the sample; gender differences in word frequency were tested for using Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: Of 1117 applicants to the residency program, 822 (82%) first-rotation SLOEs were available; 64% were men, and 36% were women. We did not find a difference in baseline characteristics including age (mean 27 years), top 25 schools (22.5%), Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society rates (13%), and having earned advanced degrees (10%). The median word count per SLOE narrative for men was 171 and for women was 180 (p = 0.15). After adjusting for letter length, word frequency differences between genders were only present in two categories: social words (women: 23 words/letter; men: 21 words/letter, p = 0.02) and ability words (women: 2 words/letter; men: 1 word/letter, p = 0.04). We were unable to detect a statistical difference between men and women applicants in the remaining categories, including words representing communal traits, agentic traits, standout adjectives, grindstone traits, teaching words, and research words. CONCLUSION: The small wording differences between genders noted in two categories were statistically significant, but of unclear real-world significance. Future work is planned to evaluate how the SLOE format may contribute to this relative lack of bias compared to other fields and formats.