Orthopaedic surgery: perspectives on matching into residency. Issue 1 (January 2016) - Aiyer, Amiethab
Abstract : The orthopaedic match is one of the most competitive among medical subspecialties. Many factors are taken into account in the ranking of potential candidates. Resources are limited to guide medical students through this process. Practicing orthopaedic surgeon mentors and resident advisors often are asked to provide counseling and advice to enhance the applicant's portfolio with limited information. This paper reviews the existing quantifiable data to assist orthopaedic surgery residency applicants. A literature review of articles written in English, which were either Pubmed or non-Pubmed indexed, was performed. The authors completed the review to concisely delineate factors that are often associated with a successful matching into an orthopaedic residency. Orthopaedic surgery continues to increase in competitiveness for the medical student residency match. While there is no one specific factor associated with success in the match, studies demonstrate that institutions often look favorably on students who rotate at that particular institution; this also is reflected in clinical performance scores if those rotators become residents at that particular program. Multiple factors are considered when matching orthopaedic surgery residency applicants. The information presented in this paper can help form the groundwork for discussions between mentors and students to maximize their chances for a successful match.