Residency Selection Preferences and Orthopaedic Career Perceptions: A Notable Mismatch

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Specialties
• Gender Studies in Medicine

Background:

• Orthopaedic surgery has a low percentage of female residents despite near-equal male and female enrollment in medical schools.
• This disparity suggests factors uniquely influence female students to choose other specialties.
• Previous studies explored reasons, but this research identifies latent variables affecting gender differences in residency preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if male and female medical students differ in their perception of orthopaedic surgery.
• To assess differences in residency and practice preferences between male and female students.
• To investigate the correlation between perceptions and preferences for orthopaedic residency and practice.

Main Methods:

• A 46-question survey was administered to 628 medical students at a single urban institution.
• Survey data analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and explanatory factor analysis to identify correlations.
• Response rate was 33% (205 students), with gender distribution matching the overall student population.

Main Results:

• Both genders ranked work-life balance and variety in specialty highly; females prioritized practice options, males prioritized prior exposure.
• Perceptions of orthopaedics were similar (male-dominated, competitive, long hours), but females perceived it as requiring more physical strength.
• Explanatory factor analysis revealed distinct latent factors influencing male and female students' specialty preferences, indicating different weighting of similar preferences.

Conclusions:

• Male and female medical students share similar perceptions of orthopaedic surgery but differ in how they weigh residency preferences.
• These differing preference weightings, identified through factor analysis, likely contribute to the gender disparity in orthopaedic residency.
• Addressing multifactorial areas that may discourage female applicants is crucial for attracting diverse talent to orthopaedic surgery.