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. 2019 Sep 11;5(9):e02400.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02400. eCollection 2019 Sep.

Concerns about the pathology job market dominate a popular online pathology forum and likely deterred American medical students from pursuing pathology residency

Ryan Philip Jajosky  1   2 , Mara Banks  3 , Audrey N Jajosky  4
Affiliations

Concerns about the pathology job market dominate a popular online pathology forum and likely deterred American medical students from pursuing pathology residency

Ryan Philip Jajosky et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

From 2010 to 2019, 40.5% fewer senior students from United States (US) allopathic medical schools pursued pathology in the Main Residency Match. To possibly explain this trend, we sought to identify major concerns about pathology which were made during this time. Because the Student Doctor Network (SDN) website is widely used by students at American medical schools during the residency application process, SDN has been shown to influence career decisions. So, the 50 all-time most-viewed SDN pathology threads (as of February 2018) were analyzed. The words "job" and "jobs" were used in the title of 11 of the 50 (22%) threads, which altogether received more than 400,000 views. However, the term "job(s)" was rarely used by 14 other major medical specialties. Seven of the 11 (63.6%) job-related threads were created from 2009 to 2011, corresponding with the start of the decline in medical students pursuing pathology residency. It was reasoned that job-market concerns within SDN threads may have discouraged students from pursuing pathology. To test this hypothesis, 5 pathology residents were asked to read all 11 threads and then complete a survey. Most thread reviewers agreed that commenters, which included medical students, were concerned about the pathology job-market and that medical students who viewed the threads would be less likely to pursue pathology residency. Because more than 85% of SDN users are from the US, the threads likely had a greater impact on American medical students compared to foreign students. In conclusion, job-market concerns over the past decade are so prominent in the SDN pathology forum that they likely contributed to fewer seniors from US allopathic medical schools pursuing pathology residency. As of 2019, there are 12 job-related threads among the 50 all-time most-viewed, including threads created in 2016 and 2017. To improve recruitment, the pathology community should carefully review and address concerns about employment opportunities. Due to conflicting reports, additional studies are needed to determine if a mismatch in workforce supply and demand warrants prompt and thoughtful intervention.

Keywords: Health profession; Medical students; Online forum; Pathology job market; Pathology residency; Reddit; Social media; Student Doctor Network.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The number of times that the term “job(s)” was used in the titles of the 50 all-time most-viewed SDN threads for each medical specialty.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The dates of the first and last comment for all 11 SDN pathology threads about jobs.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The start dates of the 50 all-time most-viewed SDN pathology threads.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Survey responses regarding the 11 threads about jobs, provided by the five thread reviewers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/(Accessed 15 Dec 2018).
    1. Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) System, http://www.nrmp.org/registration-ranking-results-system/(Accessed 15 Dec 2018).
    1. National Resident Matching Program . National Resident Matching Program; Washington, DC: 2019. Results and Data: 2008–2019 Main Residency Match.http://www.nrmp.org/main-residency-match-data/
    1. Jajosky R.P., Jajosky A.N., Kleven D.T., Singh G. Fewer seniors from United States allopathic medical schools are filling pathology residency positions in the Main Residency Match, 2008-2017. Hum. Pathol. 2018;73:26–32. - PubMed
    1. Thousands of Resident Applicants Celebrate NRMP Match Results. March 15, 2019. http://www.nrmp.org/one-nine-press-release-thousands-resident-physician-...