Impacts of COVID‐19 on orthopaedic surgery residency / spine trainee application trends

Gardezi, Mursal; Moore, Harold E.; Socci, A.; Grauer, Jonathan N.

doi:10.1016/j.xnsj.2021.100088

Cited by 1 publication

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…With less clinical opportunities, applicants may have had more time to engage in research. The average number of research items reported on applications increased from 9.3 in 2015 to 16.6 in 2020, with a statistically significant increase to 18.9 in 2021 18 . During the 2020 to 2021 application cycle, 82.8% of students had their in-person away rotations canceled because of COVID-19 17 , and, on average, applicants participated in 2.4 virtual away rotations 19 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The number of orthopaedic surgery residency applicants increased during the 2020 to 2021 academic year 18 , 19 , 21 . Although the overall number of applicants increased, there were concerns about how the pandemic affected diversity within the residency application process.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, a separate study found no significant difference between the 2018 and 2020 application cohorts in the proportion of female or underrepresented minority applicants, or in the proportion of those groups that were invited to interviews 22 . Another reported a 1.6% increase in the number of female applicants to orthopaedic residency programs in 2020 to 2021 compared with 2019 to 2020 18 indicating that COVID may not have significantly affected the current lack of diversity among orthopaedic surgery applicants 23 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that applicants may have been more likely to apply to more programs during the 2020 to 2021 year 18 , 19 , 21 , some programs implemented additional supplemental application requirements beyond the Electronic Residency Application Service application to better differentiate applicants, although on average, only 60% of applications were completed 31 . Most programs (89%) did not add supplemental requirements 30 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The COVID-19 pandemic decreased the opportunities for medical students, especially students from nondominant groups, to gain exposure to orthopaedic surgery. An uptick in virtual learning may have provided medical students with increased time for research, resulting in more research items reported on applications, although this may have also been a result of higher percentages taking gap years 17 , 18 . Laboratory restrictions may have shifted many students toward epidemiologic research where projects can be performed more expeditiously and remotely 92 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19

Randall,

Ganapathy,

Kuhn

et al. 2023

JBJS Open Access

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Background: COVID-19 forced surgical resident training programs to adapt to meet educational requirements within the constraints of various guidelines. Some of the changes implemented during the pandemic have imparted a lasting effect on orthopaedic education. As such, the purpose of this article was to review how orthopaedic training and education were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The published literature was queried using search strategies devised by a medical librarian, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies eligible for inclusion were studies related to COVID-19, orthopaedic surgical training, and medical education. Studies were excluded if they (1) were abstracts, conference proceedings, letters, perspective pieces, reviews, or editorials; (2) evaluated medical student education; (3) included other specialties; or (4) were unrelated to COVID-19 and/or orthopaedic training. Results: Eighty-three (n = 83) studies were included. Five themes emerged including (I) Fellowship Application, Interview, and Match Processes; (II) Social Media and Websites for Program Information; (III) Changes in Trainee Surgical Volume; (IV) Trainee Mental Health and Well-being; and (V) Innovations in Education. The pandemic decreased opportunities for medical students to gain exposure to orthopaedic surgery. Social media use, particularly Instagram, among orthopaedic residencies increased during the pandemic. Between the cancellation of away rotations and in-person interviews, applicants saved over $6,000; however, both residency applicants and interviewers preferred in-person interviews. The pandemic led to decreased surgical volume and in-person didactics for trainees, thus relying more on virtual learning. Orthopaedic trainees had mixed feelings regarding online virtual education. Although some respondents reported that they preferred the convenience of online learning, others expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of virtual education. Conclusions: The shift to virtual learning affected how applicants learned about residency programs, with many relying on virtual away rotations and social media to compare different programs. The pandemic also highlighted issues of diversity and accessibility within orthopaedic surgery, with cost savings from virtual interviews and canceled away rotations potentially benefiting applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Although some innovative approaches and adaptations to orthopaedic education and training have shown promise and may continue to be used in the future after the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of others, such as virtual interviews, is less clear.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%