Gender Differences in the Urology Residency Match-Does It Make a Difference?

OBJECTIVE

To assess the differences between the male and female urology resident applicant pool. Urology is a competitive field with a selective match process. Women have historically been a minority in medicine. Although this has equalized, women continue to be underrepresented in urology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All application submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service to the Columbia University Department of Urology for the 2015 and 2016 match were reviewed. The differences between the cohorts of matched female and male urology applicants were assessed.

RESULTS

Two hundred fifty-six students in 2015 and 259 students in 2016 submitted applications to Columbia and completed rank lists (60% of the national cohort in 2015 and 62% in 2016). We did find that the overall male applicant pool had a slightly lower number of honors (3 vs 2, P = .02) and higher United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 score (238 vs 234, P <.001). The only other statistically significant difference between the matched male and female cohorts was the average number of urology subinternships (1.4 [0.9] for men vs 1.18 [0.8] for women, P = .04).

CONCLUSION

Overall matched male and female applicants appeared to have very similar qualifications. Men had a higher USMLE step 1 score and women had a higher average number of honors. These data support the finding that contemporary male and female residency candidates who matched in urology had comparable achievements, and the criteria for residency selection in both cohorts are similar.