Does Medical School Geography and Ranking Influence Residency Match in Otolaryngology?

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate the associations between geographic locations, rankings, and size/funding of medical schools and residency programs among the current otolaryngology residents. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study queried otolaryngology residency program websites for relevant publicly accessible information. Location was categorized as Midwest, Northeast, South, and West. Ranking was according to Doximity (residency) and US News and World Report (medical school). Medical school and residency programs were labeled large if they had >704 students or >15 residents, respectively. Results: A total of 1413 residents from 98 (89%) otolaryngology residency programs were included. Residents attending their home medical schools (18%) were equally distributed among regions ( P = .845). Residents who attended medical schools in the same US regions (54%) were more likely from top-25 ( P = .001) or private ( P < .001) medical schools. Southern residents were most likely (64%) and Western residents were least likely (39%) from regional medical schools ( P < .001), while residents from Midwest and Northeast had similar rates (54%-55%). The percentage of Midwest residents coming from regional medical schools has decreased from the 2013 to 2014 residency cycle ( P = .037). Completing undergraduate school, medical school, and residency in the same region (38%) was also highest in the South (45%) and lowest in the West (25%) ( P < .001). Residents at top-ranked residency programs were more likely from top-ranked ( P < .001), large ( P = .025), and private ( P = .018) medical schools. Conclusion: There exist significant associations between otolaryngology residents’ medical school location, ranking, size, and funding source and their residency destination. More than half of the current otolaryngology residents attended medical school in the same geographic region, and about one-fifth have attended medical school and residency at the same institution. Future studies are warranted to evaluate how these results change as the match process evolves in the future. Level of Evidence: N/A.

The Neurosurgery Match: COVID-19 Comparison and Bibliometric Analysis

“…More than half of residents matched in the same region as their medical school. This finding mirrors the finding by Goshtasbi et al 10 in 2021 in which they report 55% of applicants in otolaryngology match in the same region as their home medical school. Another study by Cox et al 11 in orthopedic surgery found the regional matching rate to be 47% relative to medical school region, 40% relative to undergraduate school region, and 40% relative to hometown region.…”

“…Silvestre et al 12 experienced similar findings at a rate of 49% in plastic surgery residents. A subgroup analysis by Goshtasbi et al 10 shows that this proportion is significantly greater if the medical school is considered a top 25 program. While we were not able to assess medical school competitiveness, the relatively small community of neurosurgeons may make professional or clinical connections meaningful for the application process, which is reflected in other surgical specialties.…”

Does Medical School Rank Impact Matching into Otolaryngology?

“…Furthermore, medical school location has a stronger association with residency location than undergraduate or home town location 15 . The regional associations were more prominent for students from a top‐25‐ranked, large, or private medical school 16 …”

“…15 The regional associations were more prominent for students from a top-25-ranked, large, or private medical school. 16 Despite the association with residency matching, the U.S. News & World Report ranking of the medical school that a physician attended is not associated with patient mortality or readmission rates. 17 This raises the question of why residents at higher-tier otolaryngology programs are more often from higher-ranked medical schools.…”

No Geographic Distribution Change Among Residency Applicants in the Neurology Match During COVID-19

“…A nationwide review of NRMP (National Resident Matching Program) data for US allopathic seniors from 2011-2015 found that 63% matched to programs within the same region as their medical school [4]. This "home field" preference has been reported for plastic surgery, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery, and general surgery [7][8][9][10][11][12]. A similar impact of geographic preferences on program rank-list choices has been reported [13].…”