D125. Effect of Plastic Surgery Electives and Home Programs on Match Rates

Abstract

PURPOSE: Medical school curricula for plastic & reconstructive surgery (PRS) exposure are highly inconsistent, which may impact match rate for students applying to PRS. We investigated whether the presence of PRS elective rotations and home programs influences match rates into integrated PRS residency. METHODS: A list of 198 medical schools was compiled from the Association for American Medical Colleges’s Medical School Members and from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. PRS elective rotation offerings and match rates were obtained from school websites. Non-US schools and schools which lack public match lists were excluded. A list of PRS residency programs was obtained from the National Resident Match Program. T-tests were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Software for any significant differences in match rates. RESULTS: 158 medical schools were included in this study. 123 (78%) offered PRS elective rotations and 77 (49%) had integrated and/or independent home PRS residency programs. 71 (45%) had both elective PRS rotations and a home residency program and 30 (19%) had neither. Mean match rates were analyzed based on presence of elective PRS rotations and/or home PRS residency programs. CONCLUSION: Presence of elective PRS rotations and home PRS residency programs significantly affects a medical student’s match into an integrated PRS residency. These findings highlight the importance of standardizing medical school curricula to provide exposure to PRS during medical school.