Department of Plastic Surgery, Burn and Wound Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.
Department of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.
J Surg Educ. 2024 Nov;81(11):1667-1674. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2024.08.025. Epub 2024 Sep 16.
The USMLE Step 1 exam, an important metric in the integrated plastic surgery match, transitioned to pass/fail scoring in January 2022. No previous studies have investigated the impact of this new scoring system on the process of ranking applicants in the integrated plastic surgery match.
330 Plastic Surgery Common Applications (PSCAs) were submitted to a single academic center in the 2023-2024 match cycle. Applicants were sorted into tiers via a holistic review process, and quantifiable data, including USMLE Step 1 scores, were then compared between tiers.
Our Institution's Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Program.
Integrated Plastic Surgery applicants in the 2023-2024 match cycle.
317 of 330 PSCAs were analyzed in this study, excluding applicants who did an elective rotation at our institution. Applicants were sorted into 3 tiers: high (n = 100), middle (n = 118) and low (n = 99), with a significant difference in match rate per tier, respectively (88.0%, 58.5%, 30.3%, p < 0.0001). The majority of USMLE Step 1 scores were reported as pass/fail (186/317, 58.7%). There was a significant difference (p < 0.0001) between the average USMLE Step 1 score between the high (mean 250.5, SD 10.4), middle (mean 241, SD 14.6), and low tiers (mean 235.5, SD 16.5). More applicants in the low tier (50%) and high tier (40%) reported numeric USMLE Step 1 scores than those in the middle tier (35%, p = 0.0734). Stepwise logistic regression revealed USMLE Step 1 score to be an independent predictor of tier placement between the high and middle tier (p = 0.0030) and high and low tier (p = 0.0001). Lastly, 3 applicants reported their USMLE Step 1 score as 'pass' instead of their given numeric score.
Comparing applicants with numeric USMLE Step 1 scores to those with pass/fail scores can have a significant impact on the ranking of those applicants and should be carefully considered during the plastic surgery match process.
美国医师执照考试（USMLE）第 1 步考试是综合整形手术匹配的一个重要指标，于 2022 年 1 月改为通过/失败评分。以前没有研究调查过这个新的评分系统对综合整形手术匹配中申请人排名过程的影响。
2023-2024 年匹配周期中，330 份整形外科普通申请（PSCAs）提交给一个单一的学术中心。通过整体审查程序对申请人进行分类，然后在各个层次之间比较可量化数据，包括 USMLE 第 1 步的分数。
我们机构的综合整形外科住院医师培训计划。
2023-2024 年匹配周期中的综合整形外科申请人。
本研究分析了 330 份 PSCAs 中的 317 份，不包括在我们机构做选修轮转的申请人。申请人被分为 3 个层次：高（n=100）、中（n=118）和低（n=99），每个层次的匹配率有显著差异（分别为 88.0%、58.5%、30.3%，p<0.0001）。大多数 USMLE 第 1 步成绩报告为通过/失败（186/317，58.7%）。高（平均 250.5，SD 10.4）、中（平均 241，SD 14.6）和低（平均 235.5，SD 16.5）三个层次之间的平均 USMLE 第 1 步分数有显著差异（p<0.0001）。低层次（50%）和高层次（40%）报告有数值 USMLE 第 1 步分数的申请人多于中层次（35%），p=0.0734。逐步逻辑回归显示，USMLE 第 1 步成绩是高-中层次（p=0.0030）和高-低层次（p=0.0001）之间分层放置的独立预测因子。最后，有 3 名申请人报告他们的 USMLE 第 1 步成绩为“通过”，而不是他们的分数。
将有数值 USMLE 第 1 步成绩的申请人与通过/失败成绩的申请人进行比较，可能会对这些申请人的排名产生重大影响，在整形手术匹配过程中应仔细考虑。
