Does Medical School Rank Impact Matching into Otolaryngology?

Abstract

To describe how medical school rank may be associated with matriculation into otolaryngology residency programs. A list of medical students who matched into otolaryngology residencies in 2020, 2021, and 2022 was obtained from Otomatch (Otomatch.com). For each student, their medical school, U.S. News & World Report Best Medical School (Research) ranking, and region based on the U.S. Census divisions were recorded. The medical schools were divided into four Tiers according to rank: 1-40 (Tier 1), 41-80 (Tier 2), 81-124 (Tier 3), and 125-191 (Tier 4). Residency programs were also grouped by region, whether they were large (>3 residents/year) or small (<3 residents/year), and their Doximity reputation ranking: 1-31 (Tier 1), 32-61 (Tier 2), 62-91 (Tier 3), and 92-125 (Tier 4). Nine hundred and ninety-five medical students were included in this study. The majority of residency matriculants were MDs (N=988, 99.3%) who came from Tier 1 (N=410, 41.2%) or Tier 2 (N=313, 31.5%) medical schools. Those who attended higher-tier medical schools were more likely to match into higher-tier residency programs (p < 0.001). 57.8% (N=237) of the applicants who attended Tier 1 medical schools matriculated into a Tier 1 residency program, whereas only 24.7% (N=42) of the applicants from Tier 4 medical schools matriculated into a Tier 1 residency program. Applicants who attend top-tier medical schools represent significantly more residents at top-tier otolaryngology residency programs than those from lower tier medial schools. NA Laryngoscope, 133:3353-3357, 2023.