Virtual sorting hat^™ technology for the matching of candidates to residency training programs

Background: The matching of medical students and trainees to appropriate training programmes poses many challenges, including financial cost and applicant stress. There are few studies that have examined alternatives to the current process of matching candidates to specialist training. Case reports from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry^™ have suggested that wearable technology may be used to assign individuals with particular sets of skills and virtues to an appropriate house. Methods: Investigators developed a modified sorting hat in the form of an online, cross-sectional survey. The virtual sorting hat was delivered to medical students at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and medical practitioners practising in the associated hospitals and communities. Pearson's chi-square was used to demonstrate correlations between the allocation of participants to Hogwarts’ houses by virtual sorting hat technology and expressed higher specialist training preference. Results: Virtual sorting hat technology, applied to medical undergraduates and postgraduates, allocated most participants to Hufflepuff^™ (44%) and Ravenclaw^™ (32%). Allocation to Gryffindor was associated with preference for surgery and allocation to Slytherin^™ with preference for psychiatry. Conclusion: Virtual sorting hat technology requires significant refinement before application to medical muggles^™.