Characteristics of US Medical Schools That Produce the Highest Percentage of Orthopaedic Surgery Residents: Analysis of the 2019 to 2023 Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Cohort.
retrospective_cohort · Level III
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40547102.
- Also identified by DOI 10.2106/JBJS.OA.24.00185 and PMC identifier 12178290.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
The inherent difficulties of matching into an orthopaedic surgery residency have led to the analysis of factors that influence this outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate which US medical schools produced the most orthopaedic surgery residents and the characteristics of these schools contributing to higher match rates. Demographic and bibliometric data were collected for 4,376 residents from 208 US-based Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited orthopaedic surgery programs. This cohort spanned 2019 to 2023. Collected variables included medical school, gender, year of graduation, Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership, and research productivity. A list of US medical schools matching the greatest number of residents into orthopaedic surgery was created and analyzed for correlative and predictive factors. Statistical analysis included Pearson correlation coefficient and univariable and multivariable linear regression. Among 4,376 residents, 21.4% were female, 12.6% held DO degrees, and 25.4% were AOA members. Residents averaged 3.4 published articles and a pre-residency h-index of 1.4. Georgetown University matched the highest number of students (n = 68), while New York University matched the highest percentage of their graduating class (7.7%). 59.6% of residents matched in the same region as their medical school. Factors significantly associated with matching were having a home orthopaedic surgery residency (p < 0.05) and National Institute of Health (NIH) funding (p < 0.05). As objective data, such as United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 scores change, understanding factors that influence match success becomes critical. The presence of a home orthopaedic surgery program and NIH funding were significant predictors, underscoring the role of research productivity in match success. Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.