Abstract
Objective: To determine whether or not manual dexterity aptitude testing in the form of soap carving during otolaryngology residency interviews at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center predicts surgical skill at the time of graduation from otolaryngology residency programs.
Methods: Over the past 25 years, applicants to the residency program at Kaiser Permanente Oakland were required to carve soap. This study was conducted to determine how applicants with the best and worst soaps compared at the time of graduation with respect to various metrics including visiospatial ability and manual dexterity.
Results: The best and worst soaps from 1990 to 2006 were determined. Sixty-two individuals qualified for the study and matriculated into otolaryngology residency programs. Surveys were sent to their residency programs to evaluate those individuals on a 5-point Likert scale in various categories. There was no difference between individuals with the “best soaps” and those with the “worst soaps” in all categories: cognitive knowledge, visiospatial ability, manual dexterity, decision making, and overall score (P > .1 for all categories). There was a 95% response rate with 35 of 37 residency programs responding, and 59 of 62 surveys returned.
Conclusion: Although further studies need to be conducted to determine the role of manual dexterity and visiospatial aptitude testing in the otolaryngology application process, individuals who have the “best soaps” did not score higher than those with the “worst soaps” in several metrics.
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