Lack of Additional Advanced Graduate Training by Orthopaedic Surgeons in Academic Practice: Current Employment and Recruitment Trends

Abstract

Background: Orthopaedic surgery is ever changing and depends on diverse technical and intellectual skill sets. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the percentage of academic orthopaedic surgeons with additional graduate degrees in the United States. Methods: Data including advanced degree(s) (eg, PhD, MS, MBA, MPH, JD, and DVM), academic rank, leadership position, subspecialty, years since training completion, and sex were collected from websites for all academic orthopaedic surgery departments in the United States. Univariate analyses were performed to evaluate for differences in demographic data based on the advanced degree status. Data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) were used to characterize graduate degree-holding US senior medical students who ranked orthopaedic surgery first relative to peers without additional advanced degrees and to applicants who ranked other specialties first. Results: Of 4,519 faculty at 175 academic orthopaedic surgery departments in the United States, 7.1% held a graduate degree in addition to a medical doctorate. There was no difference in the percentage of faculty who held departmental leadership positions ( P = 0.62) or who were full professors ( P = 0.66) based on holding an additional graduate degree. Of 678 US senior applicants who ranked orthopaedic surgery first and successfully matched into the specialty in 2018, 12.5% held an additional graduate degree and 1.3% were MD-PhDs. Orthopaedic surgery had the second lowest percentage of matched medical students with additional advanced degrees, which was significantly lower than the top 10 specialties (range 16.1% to 21.6%; P < 0.05). Orthopaedic surgery recruited 1.6% of all MD-PhD applicants in 2018. Discussion: Few academic orthopaedic surgery faculty and admitted orthopaedic residency candidates have additional graduate school training. The low percentage of orthopaedic faculty and trainees with additional advanced degrees relative to other specialties may represent a missed opportunity to recruit individuals with diverse skills to advance the field of orthopaedic surgery.

Location, location, location: How does residency program leadership vary according to geographic region?

“…Master's degrees have been shown to be one of the most common additional degrees among orthopaedic faculty, 22,23 which is in line with the results of the present study. In a previous study, 7.1% of faculty across the US held an additional academic degree, while 12.5% of matched residents in 2018 had an additional degree.…”

“…Master’s degrees have been shown to be one of the most common additional degrees among orthopaedic faculty, 22,23 which is in line with the results of the present study. In a previous study, 7.1% of faculty across the US held an additional academic degree, while 12.5% of matched residents in 2018 had an additional degree 22 . Compared to other competitive specialties, orthopaedic surgery had the second lowest percentage of matched students with additional degrees, as well as only recruiting only 1.6% of all MD-PhD applicants 22 .…”

“…In a previous study, 7.1% of faculty across the US held an additional academic degree, while 12.5% of matched residents in 2018 had an additional degree. 22 Compared to other competitive specialties, orthopaedic surgery had the second lowest percentage of matched students with additional degrees, as well as only recruiting only 1.6% of all MD-PhD applicants. 22 Among orthopaedic sports medicine faculty it has been shown that those with an advanced degree were associated with a higher h-index, publications, and journal editorial board positions.…”

“…22 Compared to other competitive specialties, orthopaedic surgery had the second lowest percentage of matched students with additional degrees, as well as only recruiting only 1.6% of all MD-PhD applicants. 22 Among orthopaedic sports medicine faculty it has been shown that those with an advanced degree were associated with a higher h-index, publications, and journal editorial board positions. 23 Programs with faculty with advanced degrees were also correlated with a higher program ranking.…”