Did More Otolaryngology Residency Applicants Match at Their Home Institutions in 2021? Investigating the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To compare the proportion of applicants who matched to their home otolaryngology program during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous 5 years. Methods: A “home program match” status was identified for residents in each PGY level and in incoming interns. The “home match proportion” (HMP) was then calculated for each program for each year from 2016 to 2021. The difference in the distribution of home matches between PGY0 and PGY 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were analyzed using the chi-square independence test and Fisher’s exact test. Statistical significance was declared at P < .05. Results: A total of 1885 residents were identified from 101 otolaryngology residency programs. The distribution of PGY0s who home matched was statistically higher when separately compared to PGY1-5s. (PGY0 vs PGY 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: 96 [30.1%] vs 63 [19.3%] P = .002, 73 [22.9%] P = .048, 50 [16.3%] P < 0.0005, 59 [19.2%] P = .002, 52 [16.9%] P < .0005). There was no statistical difference in any binary combination within PGY1 through PGY5. Conclusion: Nearly a third of applicants matched to their home institution for otolaryngology during the 2021 application cycle, a statistically significant increase compared to an average of the previous 5 years. While there are likely many reasons for this increase, we believe that the severely limited nature of away rotations due to the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in this outcome.

Virtual interviewing for graduate medical education recruitment and selection: A BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 80

“…Home match rates, defined as a match at the program affiliated with an applicant's medical school, increased in 12 studies-7 in plastic surgery (Asadourian et al 2021;Hollins et al 2021;Om and Losken 2021;Whisonant et al 2021;Egan et al 2022;Faletsky et al 2022aFaletsky et al , 2022b, 2 in dermatology (Abdelwahab et al 2021;Ederle et al 2021), 2 in otolaryngology (Faletsky et al 2022a;Mulcahy et al 2022), and 1 in ophthalmology (Rasendran et al 2021). Study authors speculated that the loss of personal connections and ability to assess fit caused programs and applicants to select those with whom they were more familiar.…”

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Expenses of Medical Students Applying to Otolaryngology Residency Programs

“…With the increased competitiveness of otolaryngology residency programs along with multiple changes to the application process during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to determine their impact on applications and residency programs. Previous studies of otolaryngology applicants have used the National Residency Match Program data to show a significant increase in the number of applicants matching at or close to home during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to the limitations of away rotations and in-person interviews [ 11 - 12 ]. Studies were performed with dermatology and orthopedics applicants looking more specifically at the change in costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic [ 9 , 13 ].…”

Virtual Interviews and the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Match Geography: A National Survey

“…[2][3][4][5] The VI process and associated perceptions have been described in the literature. 2,3,[6][7][8][9] The inability to visit a program in person can impact decision-making during ranking, 4,[10][11][12][13][14] and an increased number of applications could create undue strain on programs. [15][16][17] Geographic location, sense of "fit," and program leadership were described as major contributors to applicants' rank preference.…”