QS36. A Comprehensive Review of Medical Student First Author Publications in Plastic Surgery

Abstract

Purpose: The integrated plastic surgery residency match is a highly competitive process. If performed wisely, medical research is an opportunity to differentiate application from peers, and productivity is closely evaluated by residency programs. In this study, we aimed to characterize medical student research productivity for integrated plastic surgery residency programs and their respective medical schools. Methods: A retrospective review of senior author publications from the 81 integrated plastic surgery programs from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020 was performed. The primary outcome was publication with a medical student as the first author. Secondary outcomes included number of faculty from each program, geographic region of program, and ranking of associated medical school. Results: The average number of medical student first author publications and faculty members per institution were 14.0 and 11.0, respectively. There was a positive correlation between number of faculty members and number of medical student first author publications for a program (R = 0.54, p < 0.0001). The average number of medical student first author publications was higher at top 25 programs than for the remaining programs (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Most medical student first author publications in the United States are produced by 10 plastic surgery programs. Programs associated with higher ranking medical schools produce greater numbers of medical student first author publications. These analyses of medical student academic productivity should be a highly useful guide for current and future medical students as they strategize their successful match into plastic surgery.