Are Away Rotations Critical for a Successful Match in Orthopaedic Surgery?

Abstract

Surveys have suggested one of the most important determinants of orthopaedic resident selection is completion of an orthopaedic clerkship at the program director's institution. The purpose of this study was to further elucidate the significance of visiting externships on the resident selection process. We retrospectively reviewed data for all medical students applying for orthopaedic surgery residency from six medical schools between 2006 and 2008, for a total of 143 applicants. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to compare students who matched successfully versus those who did not in terms of number of away rotations, United States Medical Licensing Examination scores, class rank, and other objective factors. Of the 143 medical students, 19 did not match in orthopaedics (13.3%), whereas the remaining 124 matched. On multiple logistic regression analysis, whether a student did more than one home rotation, how many away rotations a student performed, and United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 score were factors in the odds of match success. Orthopaedic surgery is one of the most competitive specialties in medicine; the away rotation remains an important factor in match success.

Course Offerings in the Fourth Year of Medical School

“…42 In a study from six orthopedic surgery residencies, a regression analysis demonstrated that the number of away rotations was associated with matching to orthopedic surgery. 43 However, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery are highly competitive disciplines and may not reflect all residency matches.…”

Academic Characteristics of Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Applicants from 2007 to 2014

“…National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data indicate that orthopaedic surgery programs fill >97% of postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) positions annually 1,2 . Additionally, the annual orthopaedic surgery residency match rate for U.S. seniors (i.e., fourth-year medical school students) historically varies between 75% and 80%, with up to one-quarter of applicants failing to match.…”

What Are We Telling Our Students? A National Survey of Clerkship Directors' Advice for Students Applying to Internal Medicine Residency

“…17 Newer observational data from the 2 most competitive specialties are mixed 10 : an analysis of a plastic surgery match showed no effect of taking an away rotation, 18 while the study of an orthopedic surgery match showed a marked positive effect of taking 2 or more away rotations (odds ratio of matching ¼ 60.83, 95% CI 6.08-608.43). 19 In our survey, CDs recommended applying to a median of 10 programs for students in the highest academic quartile and 15 programs for students in the lowest quartile. These numbers are likely affected by the prestige of the medical school and may be different for students applying to more competitive specialties.…”