Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of study identification, screening, and inclusion.
Table 1
Frequency of the term “talent” and related terms in the reviewed literature.
| EXPANDED SEARCH TERM USED | FREQUENCY OF THE TERM IN OUR FINAL LIST OF PAPERS |
|---|---|
| Core Definition (Tier 1) | |
| Talent | 47 |
| Adjacent terms (Tier 2) | |
| Skills | 146 |
| Aptitude | 104 |
| Ability | 75 |
| Competen* (e.g. Competent/Competence/Competency) | 50 |
| Excellen* (e.g. Excellence/Excellent) | 36 |
| Performance | 33 |
| Success/Successful | 14 |
| Achievement or Attainment | 8 |
| Gifted | 8 |
| Intelligence | 7 |
| Expert/Expertise | 3 |
| Attributes | 2 |
| Knowledge | 2 |
| Accomplishment | 1 |
| Best | 1 |
| Grit | 1 |
| Proficiency | 1 |
| Qualified | 1 |
| Rock star | 1 |
[i] NB: The papers that we analyzed often used more than one term within their paper. As such, the total is more than 189. Also, see Appendix F for a glossary that attempts to define these terms. For reporting, we present findings in two bands: Core (‘talent’ explicitly used/defined) and Adjacent (related performance terms). This preserves breadth while distinguishing definitional specificity.”
Figure 2
Number of papers using “talent” or related terms by year of publication.
Table 2
Definitions of talent in the literaturea.
| FIRST AUTHOR, YEAR | TYPE OF TALENT DEFINED | DEFINITION USED |
|---|---|---|
| Bell, 2011 | Personal Talents (of surgical training applicants) | Defined by the “TriMetrix Personal Talent Report”, an online survey that assesses behavioural style, intrinsic motivators, and dimensional balance. |
| Bell, 2012 | Personal Talents (of surgical training applicants) | Defined by the second and third components of the TriMetrix assessment: intrinsic motivation and personal skills inventory. |
| Friedman, 2019 | Talented physicians | “What has been shared in this review perhaps, is the paradigm of what it means to be talented: now, it is more than great book knowledge, bedside experience and technical expertise; it is the ability to recognize one’s strengths and vulnerabilities; to commit to practicing the highest quality and safest medicine with a willingness to adopt change to make care safer; to partner with colleagues to create a fair, respectful and equitable culture in the workplace and above all, to care for oneself and colleagues so that we can better care for our patients.” (p.93) |
| Jensen, 2017 | Surgical talent | Three key elements for conceptualizing surgical talent: (1) Individual skills make the surgical prospect “good”, (2) a mixture of skills gives the surgical prospect the potential to become talented, and (3) becoming talented may rely on the fit between person and environment. |
| Kim, 2012 | Medical students with exceptional talents in science and mathematics. | The “special admission group” consisted of students who received awards at national or international Olympiads in Korea. |
| Subramaniam, 2015 | Talent development among trainee doctors | Talent development refers to the competency development of medical practitioners, geared towards producing competent professionals with the necessary skills for medical practice. |
| Wenzel, 2016 | Latent talent among medical students or residents | “…a medical student, resident, or faculty colleague who will blossom academically or clinically” – given the right mentorship. |
Figure 3
Talent and most common talent-adjacent terminology over the years.