The impact of medical student research as a discussion topic during the residency interview process

Abstract

Background Students with a greater number of research experiences are more successful in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP.) As a result, approximately two-thirds of allopathic medical schools have implemented a scholarly research project (SP) as a part of their curriculum. While inclusion of an SP in the medical school curriculum increases research productivity, literature to date has not investigated the frequency with which it is a discussion topic during residency interviews. Methods One hundred twenty-three students from the graduating class of 2019 and 2020 at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix (UACOMP) completed a 17-question survey examining the student’s SP and whether they completed additional research, with an overall response rate of 82.6%. Survey participants were asked to quantify how many residency interviewers asked about their SP or additional research during the interview process. Results Twenty-seven percent of interviewers asked students about their SP and 41% of interviewers asked students about additional non-SP research. 40% of interviewers asked about research overall to include SP and/or non-SP research. A greater percentage of interviewers (50%) asked students about their SP if they had undertaken additional research compared to interviewers of students who did not undertake additional research (29%, p = 0.0237). A greater percentage of interviewers at academic institutions (31%) asked students about their SP, compared with a smaller percentage of interviewers at predominantly non-academic programs (22%, p = 0.0054). There were no significant differences in the proportion of interviewers asking about the SP based on the type of specialty, competitiveness of specialty, relatedness project topic to specialty, and publication/presentation status of project. Conclusion Student research experiences may serve as a frequent discussion topic during the residency interview. Approximately one-quarter of interviewers ask about the SP regardless of specialty, research topic, and publication/presentation status of the project. Students with additional research experiences beyond their SP may experience a higher percentage of interviewers asking about their SP. Also, students applying to predominantly academic programs may experience a higher proportion of interview questions about research compared to peers interviewing at non-academic programs.

Trends in the Main Residency Match From 2007 to 2020

“…A study completed in 2021 determined that 40% of residency interviewers asked applicants about their research projects during the 2019-2020 application cycle. This study also found that interviewers at academic institutions asked about research experiences at a statistically significant increased rate compared to interviewers at nonacademic programs [ 21 ]. Although this study was completed at a single institution, this helps justify the importance of research experiences for medical students when applying to residency programs, highlighting its prevalence in the interview evaluation process.…”

Surgical research in Colombia part 3: Authorship and publications of Colombian medical students in surgery in Colombian medical journals—cross-sectional study

“…There are many ways to evaluate the training and scientific activity of medical students, such as abstracts presented at scientific events, oral presentations, exchanges and participation in scientific societies 17 – 19 . However, publications are the final product of scientific activity, which may arise from a collaborative research project with professors or a student collaborative research idea, and reflect the intellectual and methodical capacity of the student to support a hypothesis in front of the academic community 17 , 18 . This is why in academic surgery, it is essential to know the authorship of medical students in surgery, in order to know the training and profile of aspiring future surgeons.…”

SOARinG to New Heights Through a Structured Medical Student Research Program

“… 10 Such scholarly activity was important even before the transition to a pass/fail USMLE Step 1, as many residency interviewers discuss research experiences with students. 11 …”