Evaluating Anesthesiology Residency Training Programs: What Criteria Should Medical Students Use?

Attempts have been made to rank institutes of higher education for decades. In 1983, U.S. News and World Report (U.S. News) published its first rankings of undergraduate programs, based solely on the opinions of college presidents.¹  Because of the poor relevance of ranking based on opinion, the methodology of these rankings evolved to include statistical data and a shift toward evaluating colleges by the success they have in graduating students (outcomes data). In 1990, “America’s Best Graduate Schools” was published, including annual listings of medical, engineering, law, business and education schools and has become the default method by which these schools are compared.^2,3  Last year, U.S. News and Doximity, a social media network for physicians, launched Residency Navigator, the first ranking of graduate medical education programs. With more than half of U.S. physicians as members, Doximity is the largest site of its kind.^4...