Self Evaluation And Results Of Colonoscopies Performed In A French General Hospital.

Residents interested in gastroenterology fellowship training seek advice from mentors, gastroenterology attendings and program directors regarding their applications and interviews.Speculation exists regarding the most important attributes in prospective candidates from institution to institution.Aim: To determine the most important attributes that program directors look for in prospective new gastroenterology fellows.Methods: All 178 postgraduate training programs in adult gastroenterology active in 1999 throughout the United States and Canada were contacted either by e-mail, or fax if possible.A questionnaire was sent to each program requesting the five most important attributes that program directors are looking for in prospective new gastroenterology fellows.Results: 46 program directors provided a response to the questionnaire by return e-mail, fax or standard mail.A total of 230 responses were recorded.A total of 22 categories were developed to incorporate all of the responses.The most frequent to least frequent attributes recorded are in percentage as follows: research/publications-I 1.3%, dedicationlhardworking-9.6%, clinical performance/ability-8.3%,interpersonal skills/team player-8.3%,training program's reputation-7.4%,intellectlboard scores-7%, humanistic qualities-6.5%,academic vs. clinical career choice-6.5%,letters of recommendation-5.7%,academic achievementlhonors and awards-5.2%.training program U.S. vs. foreign medical school-4.3%,honesty/integrity-4.3%, creative/ inquisitive-3.5%, interview with director-2.2%.refused to respond to questionnaire-2.2%,willingness to advance knowledge to level of a specialist-1.7%,commitment to 3 year training period-1.3%,acceptance of criticism-I.3%,professional appearance-0.9%,manual dexterity-0.9%,subspecializing in gastroenterology-0.9%,special training outside of residency-0.9%Conclusion: Research experience, dedication, hard work, clinical performance, interpersonal skills and current