Best Practices for Writing Letters of Recommendation for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship: An Empty Scoping Review

Abstract

Objectives Though letters of recommendation (LOR) for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) fellowship are a critical part of application process, little is known regarding best practices for writing them. This scoping review sought to identify published data outlining best practices in writing MFM fellowship LOR.

Study Design Scoping review conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and JBI guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and ERIC were searched, by professional medical librarian using database-specific controlled vocabulary and keywords representing MFM, fellowship, as well as personnel selection, academic performance, examinations, or clinical competence in 4/22. Prior to execution, the search was peer reviewed by another professional medical librarian using the Peer Review Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS) checklist. Citations imported to Covidence, dual screened by authors with disagreements resolved by discussion, and extraction performed by one author and checked by the second.

Results A total of 1,154 studies were identified, with 162 removed as duplicates. Of the 992 screened, 10 imported for full-text review. None of these met inclusion criteria; four were not about fellows and six did not report on best practices for writing LOR for MFM.

Conclusion No articles were identified that outlined best practices for writing LOR for MFM fellowship. The lack of guidance and published data guiding those writing LOR for MFM fellowship applicants is concerning given the importance of these as a tool used by fellowship directors in selecting applicants for interviews and ranking.

Key Points

• No published articles were identified addressing best practices for writing LOR for MFM fellowship.

• Fellowship directors rely on LOR for offering interviews and rank list.

• Future research is urgently needed to identify best practices.

Keywords

fellowship - letters of recommendation - application - best practices

Note

The findings in this research letter have not been previously presented.

Publication History

Received: 06 October 2022

Accepted: 03 January 2023

Article published online:
16 February 2023

• References

• 1 Gibson KS, Muffly TM, Penick E, Barber MD. Factors used by program directors to select obstetrics and gynecology fellows. Obstet Gynecol 2012; 119 (01) 119-124
• 2 National Resident Matching Program DRaRC. Results of the 2016 NRMP Program Director Survey, Specialties Matching Service. Washington, DC: The National Resident Matching Program; 2016
• 3 Iqbal IJ, Sareen P, Shoup B, Muffly T. Attributes of successfully matched versus unmatched obstetrics and gynecology fellowship applicants. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2014; 210 (06) 567.e1-567.e8
• 4 Lane A, Rose S, Cunningham S, Abuhamad A. ; the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship Affairs Committee. Applying for Fellowship. Accessed June 27, 2022 at: https://www.smfm.org/fellowship/applyfellowship
• 5 Peters MDJ, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Munn Z, Tricco AC, Khalil H. Scoping reviews (2020 version). In: Aromataris E, Munn Z (Editors). JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, JBI: 2020. Accessed February 23, 2023 at: https://synthesismanual.jbi.global
• 6 Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W. et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med 2018; 169 (07) 467-473
• 7 Alweis R, Collichio F, Milne CK. et al. Guidelines for a standardized fellowship letter of recommendation. Am J Med 2017; 130 (05) 606-611
• 8 Gray R. Empty systematic reviews: identifying gaps in knowledge or a waste of time and effort?. Nurse Author Ed 2021; 31 (02) 42-44