Trends in application and match outcomes for hematology and oncology fellowship: An analysis of charting outcomes from 2008 to 2022.

Abstract

e23004 Background: The rapidly evolving advances in the field of oncology make it attractive to many internal medicine residents and graduates who must secure a position through the hematology and oncology fellowship match to get a chance to complete training in oncology. We aim to evaluate the trends in the application, competitiveness, and match rates of the hematology and oncology fellowship match based on the category of applicants. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of applicants who applied for the hematology and oncology fellowship from 2008 to 2022 based on the match data released by the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). The number of applicants, type of applicants, number of positions, and match outcomes was evaluated. Applicant types were classified into US-allopathic graduates and non-US-allopathic graduates. Chi-square tests were used to compare the match outcomes and the applicant types. Results: A total of 11,357 applicants participated in the hematology and oncology fellowship match during the study period. The number of applicants increased from 724 in 2008 to 894 in 2022 (a 23% increase), while the number of positions increased from 424 to 663 (a 36% increase). The average match rate was 68.5% during the study period, rising from 57.5% in 2008 to 73.5% in 2022. US allopathic graduates have a higher match rate when compared to non-US allopathic graduates (83.8% vs 56.2%; p < 0.00001). Although this disparity is maintained over time, it progressively narrowed (77.2% vs 42.5% in 2008 compared to 85.4% vs 63.3% in 2022). Fifty-three percent of applicants matched in their top 3 programs (36.5% in 1st, 11.2% in 2nd, and 7.3% in 3rd). The percentage of applicants matched in their top 3 programs increased from 53.4% in 2009 to 57.4% in 2022 (range: 50-62%). Conclusions: The hematology and oncology fellowship match is highly competitive with outcomes more favorable to US-allopathic graduates than non-US allopathic graduates. Most successful applicants matched in one of their top three programs. [Table: see text]