BackgroundIn 2022, the plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS) match faced unprecedented system-wide transitions that have redefined conventional measures of applicant success. This challenges the equitable assessment of student competitiveness and diversity in the field.MethodsA survey of demography, application content, and 2022 match outcomes was distributed to applicants to a single PRS residency program. Comparative statistics and regression models were performed to assess the predictive value of factors in match success and quality.ResultsA total of 151 respondents (response rate 49.7%) were analyzed. Although step 1 and step 2 CK scores were significantly higher among matched applicants, neither examination predicted match success. Most respondents (52.3%) were women, although gender was also not significantly associated with match success. Underrepresented in medicine applicants made up 19.2% of responses and 16.7% of matches, and the plurality of respondents (22.5%) were raised with a household income ≥$300,000. Both Black race and household income ≤$100,000 were associated with lower odds of scoring above a 240 on either step 1 or step 2 CK (Black: OR, 0.03 and 0.06; P < 0.05 and P < 0.001; income: OR, 0.07–0.47 and 0.1 to 0.8, among income subgroups), receiving interview offers (OR, −9.4; P < 0.05; OR, −11.0 to −5.4), and matching into PRS (OR, 0.2; P < 0.05; OR, 0.2 to 0.5), compared with White and high-income applicants, respectively.ConclusionsSystemic inequities in the match process disadvantage underrepresented in medicine candidates and those from lower household incomes. As the residency match continues to evolve, programs must understand and mitigate the impacts of bias in various application components.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions where people live, learn, work, and play that affect their health and quality of life. There has been an increasing focus on the SDOH in the field of medicine to both explain and address health outcomes. Both the risk of burn injuries and outcomes after burns have been found to be associated with multiple aspects of the SDOH. This narrative review seeks to explore the main domains of the social determinants of health, reiterate their importance to the general and burn injury population, examine each’s association with risks of burn injuries and burn-related outcomes, and provide an overview of the current burn research landscape that describes the social determinants of health.
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