Perceived Barriers and Misconceptions Regarding Internal Medicine Residency Selection: A Pre-Post Survey Evaluation of a "Path to Specialization" Speed Dating Event

Introduction

To explore transparency and address misconceptions regarding the selection of medical residents, the Internal Medicine Department of the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, organized a "path to specialization" event. This event targeted medical bachelor's and master's students, PhD candidates, and junior doctors who consider a residency training in internal medicine. The event featured a plenary opening, followed by structured speed-dating sessions with internal medicine physicians and residents, fostering open discussions in an interactive question-and-answer format. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of this event on (mis)conceptions about selection procedures and explored whether it could help reduce perceived barriers.