41. Defining Predictors of Academic Productivity in Plastic Surgery Residency: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Experiences Throughout Training

Abstract

Background: It is likely that the importance of research experience in plastic and reconstructive surgery residency candidates will increase as the Step 1 exam and medical school rotations transition to pass/fail scoring. Institutional characteristics in undergraduate and graduate medical education that may influence academic productivity have not been collectively explored prior to this study. This study aims to assess predictors of academic productivity in residency, including medical school academic productivity, graduate institutional characteristics, and career intentions. Methods: This study utilizes a retrospective correlational study design to examine associations between academic history and research productivity during residency for chief residents of 2019 and 2020 of integrated programs. Background characteristics such as the following were collected for each resident: dedicated research time during medical school and residency, gap year after medical school, completion of other degrees, completion of fellowship, and academia versus private practice. Variables such as the following were collected to measure productivity: number of publications during medical school, number of publications during residency, and h-index. Descriptive statistics and linear regressions were generated to assess associations between medical school-related variables and residency-related variables with measures of academic productivity. Results: Overall, there were 221 graduates included, 95 (43.0%) of which were class of 2019 and 126 (57.0%) of which were class of 2020. The number of publications while in medical school and h-index calculated at the end of residency was positively associated with dedicated research time in medical school (coefficient=0.74, p=0.000; coefficient=2.96, p=0.002). For h-index calculated at the end of residency, having dedicated medical school research time was positively related and statistically significant (coefficient=2.96, p=0.002). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that dedicated research time during medical school was an independent predictor of the number of publications and h-index by the end of residency, markers of quality and quantity of academic productivity. The study demonstrates that dedicated research time included in mandatory curricula shows impact, while optional research time, such as during gap years, does not. The findings have important implications for stakeholders in graduate medical education, including those considering taking extra research years and those looking to recruit candidates with academic potential.