Objectives: Applicants to fellowship programs are divided into the following 2 distinct groups: the external versus internal candidate. Internal fellowship candidates did residency at the same institution they are applying to, whereas the external candidate is from another institution. Internal candidates have likely done rotation(s) within the fellowship's division and are known to faculty, whereas the external candidates are evaluated by their applications and interviews alone. Acceptance of internal fellowship candidates may be complicated by competing interests of the associated residency program and overlapping faculty who have academic roles in both training programs. The current percentage of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowships exclusively using the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Specialties Matching Service (SMS) for filling fellowship slots is not known.
Methods: We surveyed all the current US PEM fellowship directors in April/May 2013 using a 15-question anonymous institutional review board-approved survey. This survey was hosted through http://www.surveymonkey.com and was available between April 08, 2013 and May 08, 2013. The unique link sent to each fellowship director recorded completion of the survey but no individual responses. All questions had to be answered for the results to be recorded.
Results: Fifty-four of 70 fellowship directors responded. Each question was individually evaluated. Fellowship directors had different feelings toward internal candidates. The NRMP-SMS exclusive use was high. Possible confounders using the NRMP match seemed uncommon.
Conclusions: Twenty-nine percent of current PEM fellows are in training at the same institution where they completed their residency. Both internal and external candidates are valued by PEM fellowship directors. The exclusive use of the NRMP SMS is high and not confounded by internal factors.