Applicants' Perspectives of the Urology Residency Match Process

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Residency Matching

Background:

• The urology residency match is highly competitive.
• Applicant perspectives on the match process are underrepresented in research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate urology residency applicants' preferences regarding the application and matching process.
• To identify potential improvements for the national urology residency match.

Main Methods:

• A 23-question multiple-choice survey was distributed to 2018 urology residency match applicants.
• Data was collected from 186 out of 436 applicants (42.7% response rate).

Main Results:

• 65.1% of applicants prefer limiting applications to 60 or fewer.
• 89.8% favor geographically organized interviews to reduce travel.
• 86.6% prefer a January match over the March National Resident Matching Program match.

Conclusions:

• Applicant feedback provides a framework for enhancing the urology residency application and match process.
• Integrating applicant and program director perspectives can optimize the match structure.