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. 2021 Nov 15;5(11):e21.00247.
doi: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-21-00247.

Incidence of Research Gap Years in Orthopaedic Residency Applicants: The New Standard?

Eric J Cotter  1 , Evan M Polce, Eric Lee, Kathryn L Williams, Andrea M Spiker, Brian F Grogan, Gerald J Lang
Affiliations

Incidence of Research Gap Years in Orthopaedic Residency Applicants: The New Standard?

Eric J Cotter et al. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. .

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the incidence of a research gap year (RGY) in orthopaedic residency applicants at a single institution over a seven-year span; (2) compare applicant characteristics between applicants who did a RGY with those who did not, and (3) report variables associated with match success for RGY applicants.

Methods: Applicants who reported taking a year out from medical school to pursue research on their Electronic Residency Application Service to a single institution from 2014 to 2015 through 2020 to 2021 were reviewed.

Results: A strong positive correlation was noted between the percentage of applicants who participated in a RGY and time (Pearson correlation: r = 0.945 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.666-0.992], P = 0.001). Over the study period, 11% of applicants had done a RGY, most commonly after their third year of medical school (82.7%). Most RGY applicants matched orthopaedics (72.8%) and 19.4% matched at the same institution they did their RGY.

Conclusion: The percentage of RGY applicants to the study institution nearly doubled between 2014 to 2015 and 2020 to 2021. RGY applicants had a higher match rate than nationally published match rates. Further study is needed on a national level.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Spiker or an immediate family member serves as a board member of American orthopaedic association board or committee member; American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine board or committee member; Stryker paid consultant; Video Journal of Sports Medicine/American Journal of Sports Medicine Editorial or governing board. Dr. Grogan or an immediate family member serves as a board member of American shoulder and elbow surgeons board or committee member. Dr. Lang or an immediate family member serves as a board member of orthopaedic trauma association board or committee member; Wisconsin orthopaedic society board or committee member. None of the following authors or any immediate family member has received anything of value from or has stock or stock options held in a commercial company or institution related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article: Dr. Cotter, Mr. Polce, Dr. Lee and Dr. Williams.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of the United States color coded into geographic regions for analysis purposes. Washington DC was considered part of region 2. Regions outside of the United States were collectively considered “international” (region 7).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histogram demonstrating the percentage of research gap year (RGY) applicants relative to the total number of applicants with respect to each application cycle.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Association between research gap year (RGY) research output relative to orthopaedic surgery match success. A, Graph showing distribution of total research output (i.e., total discrete research activities listed on applicants' curriculum vitae [CV]) for RGY applicants regarding orthopaedic surgery match success: 330 RGY applicants ultimately matched into orthopaedic surgery, whereas 123 did not. The two vertical black lines correspond to the calculated research output threshold associated with greater match success (≥17 total research activities). B, Plot displaying the threshold sensitivities and specificities when the research output cutoff varies from 0 to 100 total research activities. The vertical black line represents the optimal research output threshold associated with a greater likelihood of matching; however, this threshold was ultimately found to be only poorly associated with match success based on ROC/AUC analysis. AUC = area under the curve; ROC = receiver operating characteristic
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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