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Influence of Research on Osteopathic Medical Student Residency Match Success

  • Jonathan W. Lowery , Julia M. Hum , Ivie Obeime , Sarah Zahl , Christopher P. Parr , Bryan Larsen , Tamara King and Glen Kisby
Published/Copyright: June 1, 2020
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Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
From the journal Journal of Osteopathic Medicine Volume 120 Issue 6

To the Editor:

We read with interest the 2019 study by Matthews et al1 that examined the influence of research experience and accomplishments on the residency match success of osteopathic and allopathic medical students. We congratulate the authors on an important study; their work extends and complements an existing body of literature reporting that research experience increased the likelihood of allopathic medical students matching into their desired residency program for many, but not all, specialties.2,3 Their research provides the first quantitative data on this topic for osteopathic medical students.

The 2018 National Residency Match Program (NRMP) Program Director survey4 revealed that, for certain specialties (eg, radiation oncology, plastic surgery, neurological surgery, interventional radiology), more than 75% of program directors view “demonstrated involvement and interest in research” as a key factor in the selection of applicants for an interview. Our survey among 328 first-year osteopathic medical students at 4 colleges of osteopathic medicine indicated that 315 students (96%) view research participation during medical school as important, with the predominant perceived benefit being increased competitiveness for residency applications (274 [83.5%] of respondents).5 Other perceived benefits include interacting with faculty (222 [67.7%]), developing skills for conducting research as a physician (219 [66.8%]), and deepened understanding of curricular concepts (212 [64.6%]).5

However, for both years of NRMP data analyzed by Matthews et al1 (ie, 2016 and 2018), the availability of residency placement through the American Osteopathic Association rather than the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education led to a select pool of osteopathic medical students using the NRMP system. Therefore, since the American Osteopathic Association does not report information on research experience or accomplishments among matched vs unmatched candidates, the actual influence of research on residency match success for osteopathic medical students overall is still unknown—despite strong perception among osteopathic medical students that research experience leads to enhanced competitiveness, as revealed by our work.5 We look forward to similar analyses being performed on NRMP match results for 2020, which is the first year of the single graduate medical education accreditation system and the earliest opportunity to directly compare the influence of research on residency match for osteopathic and allopathic medical students. Until then, we respectfully suggest that it is best to view the available NRMP data as historical, rather than prospective, as it pertains to the influence of research on osteopathic medical student residency match success.

Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest, Lebanon, Oregon

References

1. MatthewsCN, EstradaDC, George-WeinsteinM, ClaesonKM, RobertsMB. Evaluating the influence of research on match success for osteopathic and allopathic applicants to residency programs. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2019;119(9):588-596.Search in Google Scholar

2. ClaiborneJR, CrantfordJC, SwettKR, DavidLR.The plastic surgery match: predicting success and improving the process. Ann Plast Surg. 2013;70(6):698-703.10.1097/SAP.0b013e31828587d3Search in Google Scholar PubMed

3. RinardJR, MahabirRC.Successfully matching into surgical specialties: an analysis of national resident matching program data. J Grad Med Educ. 2010;2(3):316-321.10.4300/JGME-D-09-00020.1Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

4. Results of the 2018 NRMP Program Director Survey https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NRMP-2018-Program-Director-Survey-for-WWW.pdf. Accessed on August 26, 2019.Search in Google Scholar

5. NguyenV, KaneshiroK, NallamalaH, et al.. Assessment of the research interests and perceptions of first-year medical students at 4 colleges of osteopathic medicine. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2020;120(4):236-244. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2020.04010.7556/jaoa.2020.040Search in Google Scholar PubMed

Published Online: 2020-06-01
Published in Print: 2020-06-01

© 2020 American Osteopathic Association

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  6. Influence of Research on Osteopathic Medical Student Residency Match Success
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https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2020.057

Articles in the same Issue

  1. SURF
  2. Lumbar Diagnosis and Pressure Difference Variance
  3. OMT MINUTE
  4. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Low Back Pain
  5. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
  6. Influence of Research on Osteopathic Medical Student Residency Match Success
  7. ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
  8. How Trainees Finance Their Medical Education: Implications of Higher Education Act Reform
  9. Choosing Primary Care: Factors Influencing Graduating Osteopathic Medical Students
  10. BRIEF REPORT
  11. Empathy in Medicine Self and Other in Medical Education: Initial Emotional Intelligence Trend Analysis Widens the Lens Around Empathy and Burnout
  12. ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION
  13. Implied Evidence of the Functional Role of the Rectus Capitis Posterior Muscles
  14. REVIEW
  15. The Role of Sphenobasilar Synchondrosis in Disease and Health
  16. CLINICAL PRACTICE
  17. Partnering With Patients to Reduce Firearm-Related Death and Injury
  18. SPECIAL COMMUNICATION
  19. Buying Time: Using OMM to Potentially Reduce the Demand for Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With COVID-19
  20. CASE REPORT
  21. Integrating Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Injections in the Diagnosis and Management of a Hip Labral Tear
  22. CLINICAL IMAGES
  23. Graves Orbitopathy
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