The Plastic Surgery Match

Abstract

Plastic surgery continues to be a very competitive program to match into out of medical school. To analyze the match process, all applicants to our plastic surgery residency program in 2012 were surveyed. Our results showed that with matching into plastic surgery as the primary outcome measure, those who matched applied to more plastic surgery programs, received and accepted more interview invitations, were younger, were less likely to be foreign medical graduates, reported higher costs, had higher Step 1 and Step 2 scores, were more likely to be an Alpha Omega Alpha member, and conducted more research. In addition to looking at variables that affected the success of the match, other questions regarding the match process were posed. Most interestingly, 10% of applicants still reported violations of the match communication guidelines. Furthermore, the mean cost of interviewing for the plastic surgery match was $6073.In summary, applicants with diversified strengths had the best chance of matching. On the basis of the results of this study, applicants should attend a large number of interviews to optimize their match success. With medical student debt a growing problem, programs need to find ways to control interview costs. Residency program compliance with match communication guidelines has improved, but compliance should be universal. With these data, applicants can be better prepared for the match to optimize their success and programs can work to improve the match process.

The Plastic Surgery Prisoner’s Dilemma: The Relationship between Applications and Match Rate

“…Although past studies have observed that individual applicants who matched into PRS applied to more programs, 1 our study suggests an increase in applications does not improve the overall chances of successfully matching. These results may be illustrated by the Prisoner’s Dilemma of game theory.…”

“…Applicants are spending an average of $6,073 and up to $15,000 on applications and interview travel. 1 Meanwhile, residency program directors are also obligated to review a greater number of applications, over 2 or more interview dates, compounding an already substantial time commitment. In this study, we examine whether an increased number of applications confers a benefit to applicants.…”

Applicant characteristics associated with successful matching into otolaryngology

“…In the group model, however, this was no longer significant. A review of applicants to plastic surgery programs similarly showed a trend towards favoring students with home plastic surgery programs, but it was not significant 13 . We recommend that medical students consider attending a highly ranked medical school or one with an Otolaryngology residency program if there is any interest in pursuing Otolaryngology when applying for medical school.…”

Student Expenses in Residency Interviewing

“…Surveys have included graduates of one state, 7 selected institutions, 2 a regional campus, 8 and applicants to specific specialties. 9 – 14 The two largest studies had response rates of 20% and 47% respectively. 2 , 7 Low response rates potentially increase the selection bias of surveying specific groups.…”