In Response to Does Medical School Rank Impact Matching into Otolaryngology?

Abstract

We thank Salehi et al. for their commentary on our paper Does Medical School Rank Impact Matching into Otolaryngology? 1 We agree that the change in United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scoring may further emphasize the role that medical school prestige may play in matching into otolaryngology. Of the academic faculty anonymously surveyed by the Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization (OPDO), 70.8% anticipated that the change in USMLE Step 1 to pass/fail would favor topranked medical schools. 2 This survey study did not identify how program directors would determine what is a "top-ranked" school. Prior research in orthopedic surgery found similar findings to ours, specifically a strong association between top-ranked medical schools and residency programs, as determined by Doximity and US News & Report. 3 We concur that both Doximity and US News & World Report offer certain insights during the residency application process, but do not conclusively determine the quality of a medical school or residency program's graduates. However, the implicit bias linked to medical school reputation may impact decisions to interview or rank applicants. This bias may not originate in fact. Any information about a medical school that is easily accessible may influence selection committees. 4,5 Future research would be useful to ascertain how academic faculty perceive the US News & World Report medical school ranking lists and the implications of these perceptions.We hope that program directors and selection committees in Otolaryngology will consider their biases and think about what "holistic review" means when they make these important decisions about applicants.