Competitive neurosurgery residency programs: Predictors of matching outcome and research productivity

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of preresidency research and school as predictors of competitive neurosurgery matching and to assess for any correlations between preresidency and intraresidency research productivity.

Individuals who graduated from US neurosurgery programs from 2018 through 2020 were assessed for medical school, degree (MD, DO, or PhD), preresidency versus intraresidency publications, author order, article type, and neurosurgery matching outcomes.

Medical school ranking (top 50) and the number of published papers (≥3) before intern year were predictors for matching to a top-25 residency program after adjusting for other covariates (p < 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively). On average, individuals who published more papers before residency published more papers during residency. For the comprehensive clinical papers category, there was a significant difference between individuals from the top 25 residency programs and others, with a stronger correlation between the number of preresidency publications and intraresidency publications for neurosurgeons who attended a top-25 residency program (r = 0.378 and r = 0.179, respectively; p = 0.02).

Medical school ranking and research productivity as measured by the number of published papers were independently associated with matching to the top 25 residency programs. In addition, high research productivity in the preresidency years was associated with continued productivity during residency, especially in the category of comprehensive clinical papers.