Home Field Advantage: Assessing the Geographic Trends of the Plastic Surgery Residency Match during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective In previous plastic surgery residency match cycles, in-person activities at other institutions, such as away rotations, have facilitated matches outside of an applicant's home program or region. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, limited these in-person opportunities. Therefore, we hypothesized that applicants of the 2021 cycle would be more likely to match into programs with which they have existing geographic connections when compared to previous years. Design Residency websites and social media accounts were searched for resident names and educational information for those matching in 2021 and 2015 to 2020. Outcomes included proportion of applicants matching at the program affiliated with their medical school (“home program”), or matching in the same state or United States Census Map region as their medical school or undergraduate institution. Subgroup analyses were stratified by program region, incoming resident class size, and Doximity residency reputation ranking. Setting Columbia University (New York). Participants For the 2015 to 2020 residency cycles, 963 residents were identified from 78 (95.1%) programs. For 2021, 159 incoming interns were identified from 70 (82.3%) programs. Results 2021 applicants matched into their home program at higher rates than 2015-2020 applicants (36.0% vs. 24.1%, p = 0.019). This trend was similar regardless of program region or size. This increase was significant for programs ranked outside of the top 30 (41.5% vs. 26.4%, p = 0.032), but not for the top 30 programs (32.1% vs. 22.3%, p = 0.128). Excluding those who matched at their home program, 2015 to 2020 and 2021 applicants matched in the same state or region of their medical school or undergraduate institution at similar rates (p > 0.05 for all). Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, plastic surgery residency programs matched more applicants from affiliated medical schools than in previous years. This may result from lack of in-person opportunities for applicants at other programs. Alternative relationship-building opportunities may facilitate broader geographic connections in the 2022 cycle.

Effects of COVID-19 on Geographical Trends in the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Match

“…All 3 studies concluded that lack of face-to-face interaction, such as virtual interviews and lack of away rotations, may have played a role in their observed findings. Although correlation does not equal causation, statistically significant increases in residency applicants matching to a home institution were observed in multiple fields (dermatology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, and orthopaedic surgery) that are traditionally competitive with the loss of the traditional away rotation format in the year 2021 [17][18][19] .…”

COVID-19 and the Integrated Plastic Surgery Match: An Update on Match Trends by Applicant Location

“…Numerous studies evaluating 2021 match data showed a significant increase in applicants matching at their home institutions compared with previous years. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The link between these changes and the COVID-19 pandemic has been described in detail. Among students interested in plastic surgery, COVID-19 not only affected the residency application process but also negatively impacted these students' confidence in their medical education.…”

Evaluating the Importance of Sub-Internships on the 2022 Integrated Plastic Surgery Match During Continued COVID-19 Regulations

“…2 Our findings were reinforced by multiple studies published following the 2021 plastic surgery match cycle, all supporting the conclusion that with changing interview structures and eliminating away sub-internships, rates of medical students matching at home institutions were significantly higher. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 …”