Predictors of Career Choice in Academic Medicine Among Orthopaedic Surgery Residents

Abstract

In 2013, 1038 applicants, 833 of whom were U.S. graduates, applied for 693 orthopaedic residency spots. Orthopaedic residency program directors thoroughly screen applicant data, selecting those applicants who will be most successful during the residency. Although the most important consideration for program directors is choosing residents who will obtain competence and will pass the orthopaedic board examinations, many applicants are chosen also for their ability to contribute to the field through leadership, research, and teaching. Previous studies have analyzed attitudes of orthopaedic residents toward research and university-based careers1. Primary authorship of a publication and past research experience were associated with a greater interest in future research1. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has been done to identify predictors of orthopaedic residents who actually obtain faculty positions in a university-based setting. We hypothesized that predictive factors exist for orthopaedic surgery residents who choose a university-based career. This study looked at both academic and socioeconomic criteria to identify factors that predict residents becoming assistant professors, associate professors, full professors, program directors, or program chairs. This study was approved by the institutional review board. It was performed in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations. ### Identifying Career Outcomes Among Orthopaedic Residency Graduates The orthopaedic surgery department at our hospital compiled a complete and sequential database of sixty residents who graduated from 2001 to 2010 and their career choices. No residents were excluded. If career choice data were not available for a former resident, a Google search was performed to find out the highest academic rank achieved by the graduate. Former residents were contacted by e-mail if they could not be found on a Google search. The careers of orthopaedic surgeons were analyzed and were separated into a university or community-based career choice. University-based orthopaedic surgeons had a full-time faculty appointment …