Abstract
Introduction Matching into an orthopaedic surgery residency program presents a challenging accomplishment
for applicants to achieve in any given year. Due to the profound changes to the application
process caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic it was theorized
that there would be a change in the number of graduates matching close to their home
medical school region, state, and program.
Methods Orthopaedic surgery residency program Web sites and social media accounts were accessed
to elucidate current resident data, including graduates' medical school, and geographical
location of their school. Chi-square analysis was performed to identify trends in
current residents matching within their home program, state, and region associated
with the 2021 orthopaedic match. These numbers were compared with previous year's
successful applicants.
Results In 2021, a significant 4.4% (p=0.02) increase in successful matches within applicants' home states occurred (33.4%
vs. 37.8%) and home programs (p<0.001) when compared with previous years (21.2% vs. 27.4%). However, in 2021, there
was no significant change in home region matching (p=0.56) with 60% of successful matches occurring in home regions. This was statistically
consistent with what was observed in previous years (61.4%).
Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with restrictions in travel and interview options
resulting in a significant increase in the number of orthopaedic applicants who matched
into their home program, or at programs in their home state compared with previous
years. Although no statistically significant regional change occurred during the 2021
match, it remains the leading predictor of where successful applicants will match.
With many unknowns related to the upcoming match cycles it is important for applicants
and programs to have a general idea of recent trends and outcomes to best focus their
efforts, especially if diversity and minority inclusion are considered in highly competitive
specialties like orthopaedic surgery.
Keywords
orthopaedic surgery - residency - the match - COVID-19 pandemic - graduate medical
education
