Unifying the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Application Process Under a Single Accreditation System: A Primer

Abstract

In 2020, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association will merge creating a single accreditation system for graduate medical education in the United States under the National Residency Match Program. The goal of this merger is to ensure nationwide consistency in purpose and practice of medical care in the United States, specifically in the context of residency education and training for the next generation of physicians. The proposed impact is still speculative since we do not know what lasting effects, if any, this merger will have on subspecialties such as orthopaedic surgery. There are many considerations that medical school advisors need to take into account when guiding their students applying to residency after the match merge. The newly unified accreditation system will pose additional competition, considering that there will be more applicants than spots available in competitive specialties, including orthopaedic surgery. These are important caveats to keep in mind as the residency application process is evolving actively. It is the authors' hope that concepts discussed in this article stimulate further discussion, catalyze research, and optimize the ability for students to succeed in the match process.

Cost Analysis of Medical Students Applying to Orthopaedic Surgery Residency: Implications for the 2020 to 2021 Application Cycle During COVID-19

“…Although much of the application process remains unchanged including the importance of board examination scores, clinical grades, letters of recommendation, away rotation experiences, and interview performance, each year becomes more competitive 2 , 10 - 16 . The number of orthopaedic surgery positions is far outpaced by the increased number of applications for these highly coveted positions 2 , 17 . Completion of more away rotations and applying to more programs may increase an applicant's chance for match success, but it is not without significant cost, of which we attempt to evaluate.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Application Process

“…2,3 Higher match success on an individual basis has been associated with Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) membership status, USMLE step 1 score AQ : 3 , third-year clerkship grades, USMLE step 2 Clinical Knowledge score, research productivity, and clinical performance. 1,2,[4][5][6][7] Applying to orthopaedic surgery residency is not only daunting because of the competitive nature of the match but also the substantial expense. The average applicant spends roughly $7,000 on the interview process, not including financial expenses related to multiple "away rotations" done at outside institutions (per applicant an average of 2.4 rotations are done and cost an additional $2,799, on average).…”

“…The recent merging of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (traditionally for allopathic medical graduates) and the American Osteopathic Association (traditionally for osteopathic medical graduates) represents an additional consideration for the upcoming 2020 to 2021 cycle; the impact of this on the application process is not completely understood. 4 However, the complexity of COVID-19 now presents an unforeseen, superimposed development in the quest to match. In this article, we aim to discuss and provide potential strategies for navigating the impact of COVID-19 on the residency application process for orthopaedic surgery.…”

Differences in Fourth-Year Orthopaedic Away Rotation Opportunities and Fees Among Osteopathic and Allopathic Medical Students 1 Year After the Implementation of the Single Accreditation System

“…In June 2020, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) concluded the merger of the 2 accrediting bodies forming a single accreditation entity for graduate medical education 1 . The purpose of this merger was founded with the intent of creating nationwide standards and consistency in graduate medical education 2 . Before the unification, one area of concern was how the merger of the 2 accrediting bodies could affect residency selection 2 , 3 .…”

“…According to the Association of American Medical College, orthopaedic surgery applicants applied to an average of 77 programs in 2021, which is higher than that of any other surgical subspecialty 8 . Reflectively, this has driven program directors and institutions to rely on objective measures such as standardized US Medical Licensing Examination Scores (USMLEs) and research productivity, as well as subjective measures such as 4 th -year away rotations as screening tools 2 , 10 , 11 .…”