Personnel Selection in the Medical Sciences

To the Editor:—  The process of selection and appointment of individuals to important professional positions in the United States is difficult to describe and even more difficult to defend. The usual mechanism is the designation by a dean and advisors of a "search" committee, which arrive at a slate of names on the basis of discussions among themselves and contacts with their friends or persons that presumably know the personnel market in the field. Into this pot are often thrown names of individuals, backed by influential administrative or faculty members, who are known to be interested through informal conversations or, perhaps, simple osmosis.It is seldom that the availability of the post becomes generally known. This occurs often as an open secret after the offer has been turned down by some candidates, contacted after the ceremony of obtaining permission from the employer in order to avoid the criticism of personnel