Background: Burnout is prevalent in medical training, and some data indicates certain personality types are more susceptible. The criterion reference for measurement of burnout is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which scores three factors: emotional exhaustion (EE); depersonalization (DP); and personal accomplishment (PA). Emotional exhaustion most closely correlates with burnout. Studies have yet to evaluate a link between burnout markers and certain personality traits in emergency medicine (EM) residents. The personality traits of openness, agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism can be measured with a 50-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Big 5 survey. Our goal in this study was to be the first to examine the relationship between personality traits and burnout among EM residents and guide future research on potential predictors of burnout and targeted interventions for resident well-being.

Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study conducted in March and April of 2023 in an urban, Level II trauma center, involving all EM residents at a three-year residency program. Two surveys, the IPIP and MBI-Human Services Survey, were distributed to all residents, and their responses were anonymous. We calculated raw/mean scores and standard deviations for each personality trait/burnout measure and compared them by the Pearson correlation coefficient.

Results: All 38 residents completed the surveys. A total of 31% of the cohort reported high exhaustion, 13% reported high DP, and 42% reported low PA. Two of 38 (5%) residents reported the combination of high EE, high DP, and low PA. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between conscientiousness and EE (n = 38; Pearson r = −0.40, P < 0.001) and a positive correlation between conscientiousness and PA (n = 38; Pearson r = 0.36, P = 0.03).

Conclusion: In our sample, residents who were more conscientious reported experiencing lower levels of emotional exhaustion and a greater sense of personal accomplishment. Programs may cautiously explore the potential of assessing resident personality traits as part of broader efforts to identify predictors of burnout, but further research with larger, multicenter, longitudinal samples is needed to corroborate these results. The small sample size and single-center design may limit generalizability of these findings, and the use of self-reported measures introduces the risk of response bias.

Introduction: In 2017, all medical students applying for residency in emergency medicine (EM) were required to participate in the Standardized Video Interview (SVI). The SVI is a video-recorded, uni-directional interview consisting of six questions designed to assess interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism. It is unclear whether this simulated interview is an accurate representation of an applicant’s competencies that are often evaluated during the in-person interview. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether the SVI score correlates with a traditional in-person interview score.

Methods: Six geographically and demographically diverse EM residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education participated in this prospective observational study. Common demographic data for each applicant were obtained through an Electronic Residency Application Service export function prior to the start of any scheduled traditional interviews (TI). On each TI day, one interviewer blinded to all applicant data, including SVI score, rated the applicant on a five-point scale. A convenience sample of applicants was enrolled based on random assignment to the blinded interviewer. We studied the correlation between SVI score and TI score.

Results: We included 321 unique applicants in the final analysis. Linear regression analysis of the SVI score against the TI score demonstrated a small positive linear correlation with an r coefficient of +0.13 (p=0.02). This correlation remained across all SVI score subgroups (p = 0.03).

Conclusion: Our study suggests that there is a small positive linear correlation between the SVI score and performance during the TI.

Introduction: In 2017, the Standardized Video Interview (SVI) was required for applicants to emergency medicine (EM). The SVI contains six questions highlighting professionalism and interpersonal communication skills. The responses were scored (6-30). As it is a new metric, no information is available on correlation between SVI scores and other application data. This study was to determine if a correlation exists between applicants’ United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and SVI scores. We hypothesized that numeric USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores would not correlate with the SVI score, but that performance on the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) portion may correlate with the SVI since both test communication skills. 

Methods: Nine EM residency sites participated in the study with data exported from an Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®) report. All applicants with both SVI and USMLE scores were included. We studied the correlation between SVI scores and USMLE scores. Predetermined subgroup analysis was performed based on applicants’ USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores as follows: (≥ 200, 201-220, 221-240, 241-260, >260). We used linear regression, the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test for statistical analyses. 

Results: 1,325 applicants had both Step 1 and SVI scores available, with no correlation between the overall scores (p=0.58) and no correlation between the scores across all Step 1 score ranges, (p=0.29). Both Step 2 CK and SVI scores were available for 1,275 applicants, with no correlation between the overall scores (p=0.56) and no correlation across all ranges, (p=0.10). The USMLE Step 2 CS and SVI scores were available for 1,000 applicants. Four applicants failed the CS test without any correlation to the SVI score (p=0.08). 

Conclusion: We found no correlation between the scores on any portion of the USMLE and the SVI; therefore, the SVI provides new information to application screeners.