Hollins Andrew W, Zhang Gloria X, Stoehr Jenna R, Atia Andrew, Sergesketter Amanda R, Wickenheisser Victoria A, Ko Jason H, Phillips Brett T
Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery, Duke University, Durham, N.C.
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill.
Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2021 Sep 28;9(9):e3864. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000003864. eCollection 2021 Sep.
The 2019 novel coronavirus created unique challenges for the integrated plastic surgery match. The goal of this study was to evaluate the trends of the 2020 and 2021 integrated plastic surgery match specifically related to the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Three separate individual surveys were designed for integrated plastic surgery program directors and applicants from the 2021 to 2020 match. The surveys were distributed to the email addresses of applicants that applied to our institution's integrated residency program. Information of current interns and newly matched applicants from program websites and certified social media accounts were recorded.
We received completed surveys from 19 of the 69 program directors for a response rate of 27.5%. The survey for the 2020 and 2021 match applicants was completed by 25 and 68 applicants, respectively, for a response rate of 6.1% and 21.9%. There was a significant difference in the average number of completed virtual subinternships between applicants that did and did not successfully match into plastic surgery (1.48 versus 0.36, = 0.01). The rate of students matching at their home institution was the highest in 2021 at 26% compared to 2020 (18%) and 2019 (15%).
The results of this study demonstrate that applicants were more likely to match at programs with which they had established previous connections, including home institutions. Applicants also had a higher likelihood to match if they completed a virtual subinternship during the 2021 match. Learning points can be applied to the upcoming application cycle to improve the overall experience.
2019年新型冠状病毒给整形外科联合住院医师匹配带来了独特挑战。本研究的目的是评估2020年和2021年整形外科联合住院医师匹配的趋势，具体涉及2019年新型冠状病毒。
针对2021年至2020年整形外科联合住院医师项目主任和申请人设计了三项单独的个人调查。调查发送至申请我校联合住院医师项目的申请人的电子邮箱地址。记录来自项目网站和认证社交媒体账户的当前实习生和新匹配申请人的信息。
我们收到了69位项目主任中19位的完整调查回复，回复率为27.5%。2020年和2021年匹配申请人的调查分别由25位和68位申请人完成，回复率分别为6.1%和21.9%。成功匹配到整形外科和未成功匹配的申请人之间完成的虚拟试实习平均数量存在显著差异（1.48对0.36，P = 0.01）。学生在本校匹配的比例在2021年最高，为26%，而2020年为18%，2019年为15%。
本研究结果表明，申请人更有可能匹配到他们之前有过联系的项目，包括本校。如果申请人在2021年匹配期间完成了虚拟试实习，他们也更有可能匹配成功。经验教训可应用于即将到来的申请周期，以改善整体体验。
