Pre-residency publication and its association with paediatric residency match outcome—a retrospective analysis of a national database

Abstract

IntroductionScholarly activity is considered valuable in the resident selection process by candidates and program directors alike, despite existing literature suggesting applicants with scholarly work do not perform better in the match. These studies, however, are limited in that they have only measured whether candidates have successfully matched or not. To try and reconcile the existing disconnect in the value of pre-residency scholarly activity, we sought to deepen the understanding by investigating whether pre-residency publication is associated with a higher rank-order list match achievement.MethodsAnonymized data were collected from the Canadian Residency Matching Service for individuals matched to paediatric programs from 2007–2012. The primary analysis was to identify whether documentation of ≥1 pre-residency publication was associated with achieving a first-choice match. Secondary analyses included evaluating for an association between multiple pre-residency publications, academic presentations or a graduate degree and match outcome.ResultsOf a total of 843 matched individuals, 406 (48.2%) listed ≥1 pre-residency publication and 494 (58.6%) matched to their first-choice program. The possession of ≥1 pre-residency publications was not associated with matching to a candidate’s first-choice program (odds ratio = 0.94 [95% confidence interval = 0.71–1.24], p = 0.66). Similarly, listing ≥2 publications, ≥3 publications, a graduate degree, or an academic presentation was not associated with achieving a first-choice match.ConclusionsThe results provide increased support for the notion that in aggregate, candidate scholarly activity does not influence match outcome. Accordingly, it is recommended that medical student research activities are fostered with the goal to improve their skills as scientists, and not simply to achieve a better residency match outcome.

Analysis of factors affecting Canadian medical students’ success in the residency match

“…While these numbers may include activities completed prior to medical school, considerable efforts are still being devoted in that direction in the mistaken belief that they will strengthen the application. [18][19][20][21][22] Within this highly competitive matching environment, these results suggest that there is no compelling justification to recommend increasing these activities for the sole purpose of improving match success.…”

“…Additionally, many of the existing studies on residency matching outcomes have only examined one or a few discipline areas with relatively smaller samples which may, in turn, limit the validity and generalizability of their findings. 18,19,21 Our study focuses on how student demographic and application factors interact with discipline competitiveness to impact residency matching outcomes. These insights will help guide current and future medical students with their career planning and strategies used to achieve successful residency matching outcomes (such as being accepted in their first choice discipline and avoidance of going unmatched).…”

“… 11 Other studies, however, show no association of research products with matching. 18 , 19 Survey data from residency program directors also suggest that research is not considered to be of high importance in applicant selection. 20 – 22 Having additional degrees, including a PhD has not been shown to be associated with matching success.…”

Medical students’ intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation to engage in research as preparation for residency

“…In this issue, Gupta and colleagues present interesting results on whether medical students who have written a scientific paper have a higher chance of being selected for a residency spot in paediatrics [ 1 ]. Before addressing the findings of their study and contemplating on extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation for conducting research, we would like to take a step back and elaborate on the overall importance of scientific training in medicine.…”

“…In this issue, Gupta and colleagues show thought-provoking research findings, which indicate that pre-residency publication is not associated with achieving a higher rank in first-choice match for paediatric residency in Canada [ 1 ]. From this, they conclude that extrinsic motivation should not be the main driving factor for doing research and publishing a paper, as apparently a published paper does not help to get a higher ranking.…”