The Neurosurgery Match: COVID-19 Comparison and Bibliometric Analysis

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Education
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic impacted academic opportunities and in-person interviews, potentially altering neurosurgery resident demographics.
• This study examines changes in neurosurgery resident demographics and applicant bibliometrics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively review neurosurgery resident demographics over four years.
• To perform a bibliometric analysis of successful neurosurgery applicants.
• To analyze the effects of COVID-19 on the neurosurgery residency match cycle.

Main Methods:

• Demographic data from 114 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) residency programs (946 residents) were collected.
• Information included gender, medical and undergraduate institutions, state of origin, and prior graduate programs.
• Data were analyzed to compare pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 matched cohorts.

Main Results:

• No significant changes in resident demographics or geographic preferences were observed between pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 matched cohorts.
• A significant increase in the median number of publications per resident was noted in the COVID-19 matched cohort (P=0.004).
• First-author publications also significantly increased (P=0.015), with notable regional shifts in the Northeast and West.

Conclusions:

• Neurosurgery resident characteristics and geographic preferences remained largely unchanged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Publication volume, including first-author publications, significantly increased for residents matched during the pandemic.
• The study highlights the pandemic's influence on academic productivity within neurosurgery residency applications.