International medical graduates (IMGs) matching into US orthopaedic surgery residency: a fifteen year analysis of trends in applications and geographical distribution

Abstract

Purpose: International Medical Graduates (IMGs) face challenges in securing orthopaedic surgery residencies in the U.S. This study examines residency matching trends and geographic distribution for U.S. and non-U.S. citizen IMGs.

Methods: The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) data from 2008 to 2022 were analyzed for USMLE scores, publication counts, and match rates, using linear regression. The proportion of non-US IMGs in orthopaedic surgery residency was compared with the foreign-born population of each region based on the 2021 American Community Survey.

Results: The overall IMG fill rate decreased significantly from 2.04% in 2008 to 1.26% in 2022 (P = 0.002). The number of publications for matched US IMGs was at least three times that of matched MD seniors and about two times that of unmatched US IMGs. Matched non-US IMGs had approximately five and three times the number of publications as matched MD seniors and unmatched non-US IMGs, respectively. Mississippi had the highest IMG-to-all-filled-position ratio (6.7%) and New York matched the most IMGs (36 residents). Although the foreign-born population comprises approximately 13.72% of the US population, non-US IMGs accounted for less than 1% of total matched residents. When compared to the foreign-born population, non-US IMGs were underrepresented in the US. This underrepresentation was observed in all nine geographic divisions, particularly in the West South Central and Pacific regions.

Conclusions: While IMGs constitute a low percentage of matched MDs in orthopaedic surgery, they show three to five times more publications than MD seniors. IMGs should recognize the importance of higher publication numbers in the matching process as well as states with higher IMG matching rates.

Keywords: Foreign medical graduates; International medical graduates; National residency match program; Research; Residency applications; Selection criteria.

Fig. 1

Trends in filling of the orthopaedic surgery residency positions from 2008 to 2022

Fig. 2

The mean Step scores of the studied groups for the years 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022

Fig. 3

Trends in IMGs’ mean USMLE scores and abstract/publication numbers in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. A USMLE step I and II, B Abstract/publication numbers

Fig. 4

IMG matching status across the states from 2008 to 2022. (A) Number of matched US IMGs (B) Number of matched non-US IMGs (C) Total number of matched IMGs (D) The proportion of filled positions by IMGs (%)