Osteopathic Orthopaedic Residency Selection Criteria: Program Directors' Survey and Analysis

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Residency Selection

Background:

• Orthopaedic Surgery is highly competitive with more applicants than available residency spots.
• Existing research on resident selection primarily focuses on allopathic programs.
• The AOA-ACGME merger makes understanding osteopathic program selection criteria critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate resident selection criteria in osteopathic orthopaedic residency programs.
• To provide insights for applicants and programs amidst the AOA-ACGME merger.

Main Methods:

• A 25-question survey was distributed to osteopathic orthopaedic programs in December 2017.
• Program directors' responses were used to calculate and rank the importance of selection factors.

Main Results:

• 29 out of 41 program directors (71% response rate) completed the survey.
• Key selection factors identified: performance during rotations, interview formality/politeness, and medical school board exam scores.

Conclusions:

• This study offers comprehensive data on osteopathic orthopaedic resident selection.
• Findings can guide future applicants (MD and DO) in focusing their efforts.
• Results can assist programs in refining their selection processes.