Asfaw Eliyas, Van Til Monica, Simons Efe Chantal Ghanney, Mihalic Angela P, Goh Keow Mei
University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Urology. 2024 Dec;194:340-345. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2024.08.052. Epub 2024 Aug 29.
To review the self-reported costs of urology residency applications from 2019 to 2023 and examine the impact of Society of Academic Urologists (SAU) policy changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic on these costs.
Data from the Texas Seeking Transparency in Applications to Residency (STAR) survey were used to evaluate costs incurred by fourth-year urology residency applicants from U.S. medical schools. Outcomes included median total cost (mTC), interview costs, application fees, and other associated costs, alongside the number of interviews offered and match outcomes. Cost comparisons among surgical specialties were made. Simple linear regression was used to identify cost drivers and cost-outcome correlations.
Between 2019 and 2023, 522 urology residency applicants responded to the survey. The adoption of virtual interviews and discontinuation of in-person away rotations in the 2020-21 cycle led to a 79% reduction in mTC and a 92% reduction in interview costs. Key cost drivers were the number of away rotations and number of applications submitted. Each incremental away rotation is associated increased cost of $1490. In the 2020-21 cycle, urology applicants spent on average $2000 more than their general surgery counterparts. Urology shared the position of most expensive surgical specialty with thoracic surgery and ophthalmology in the 2021-22 match cycle.
Pandemic-related policy changes significantly reduced the costs of urology residency applications, helping to reduce socio-economic barriers. The critical role of away rotations in securing match success, along with their associated costs, highlights equity concerns for students from institutions without home urology programs.
回顾2019年至2023年泌尿外科住院医师申请的自我报告成本，并研究学术泌尿外科医师协会（SAU）在新冠疫情期间所做政策变化对这些成本的影响。
来自德克萨斯州住院医师申请透明度调查（STAR）的数据用于评估美国医学院四年级泌尿外科住院医师申请者产生的成本。结果包括总费用中位数（mTC）、面试成本、申请费和其他相关成本，以及获得的面试次数和匹配结果。对各外科专科的成本进行了比较。采用简单线性回归来确定成本驱动因素和成本与结果的相关性。
2019年至2023年期间，522名泌尿外科住院医师申请者参与了调查。2020 - 2021年周期采用虚拟面试并停止现场异地轮转，导致mTC降低了79%，面试成本降低了92%。关键成本驱动因素是异地轮转次数和提交的申请数量。每次额外的异地轮转都会使成本增加1490美元。在2020 - 2021年周期，泌尿外科申请者平均比普通外科申请者多花费2000美元。在2021 - 2022年匹配周期中，泌尿外科与胸外科和眼科并列成为最昂贵的外科专科。
与疫情相关的政策变化显著降低了泌尿外科住院医师申请成本，有助于减少社会经济障碍。异地轮转在确保匹配成功方面的关键作用及其相关成本，凸显了来自没有泌尿外科专业的院校的学生的公平性问题。
