Geographic Diversity Among Otolaryngology Residency Programs

To analyze geographic trends in the otolaryngology residency match.

Cross-sectional study of 116 otolaryngology residency programs, including 1657 residents.

Internet.

Medical school, undergraduate institution, and hometown of otolaryngology residents in the academic year 2019 to 2020 were recorded from programs' websites. Six military programs and 1 program in Puerto Rico were excluded.

Of 1402 residents, 784 (55.9%) and 556 (39.6%) matched in the same region as their medical school for general and specific divisions, respectively. Residency programs in the South, Northeast, and Midwest had significantly more residents who went to medical school in the same division (p-value <0.02). 17.9% (252 of 1402) of residents matched at their same medical institution or an affiliated program, while 34.8% (208 of 597) and 44.8% (268 of 597) of residents matched at a division with no previous affiliation for general and specific divisions, respectively.

Programs in the South, Midwest, and Northeast are more likely to have residents who graduated from medical schools in these respective divisions, while programs in the West are more likely to have residents who graduated from medical schools outside this division. Over a third of residents matched at programs in divisions with no previous affiliation. This information may be useful for applicants in deciding on application strategies and for programs seeking to improve their diversity.