Background: For those who have maintained an interest in general surgery after medical school and their early post-graduate years, selection is the first step to a career in general surgery. Identifying differences secondary to gender in selection tools and their outcomes should assist the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian Board in General Surgery to improve gender equity in the general surgical workforce. Selection tools for general surgery include the curriculum vitae (CV), referee report (RR) and multiple mini-interview (MMI).
Methods: All applicants' CV, RR and MMI scores achieved in the general surgery selection process were reviewed by gender over a seven-year period.
Results: In all years, there were lower numbers of female applicants to selection. There were differences identified between genders in the CV and MMI, with females scoring lower in the CV and higher in the MMI when compared to males. There were no differences identified in the RR or proportion of applicants that were successful in their application based on gender.
Conclusion: The CV and MMI utilized for selection into general surgery were associated with gender bias. However, the lower number of females selected into training reflects the lower number of female applicants overall. There was no overall impact from gender found in an applicant's ability to be selected into general surgery in Australia.
Keywords: gender; general surgery; selection; surgical education.
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