The Home Program Advantage in the Otolaryngology Residency Match

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Residency Matching
• Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Background:

• The otolaryngology residency match process is highly competitive.
• Understanding factors influencing match outcomes is crucial for applicants and programs.
• Home programs (HP) and away rotations (AI) are common applicant strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of home residency programs on otolaryngology residency match outcomes.
• To determine if matching at a home program influences geographic stability.
• To assess if home programs correlate with matching into larger residency programs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of otolaryngology residency match data from 2015-2021.
• Utilized publicly available National Resident Matching Program data and Otomatch.com spreadsheets.
• Compared matched applicants' affiliation with their medical school's home program (HP) or away institution (AI).

Main Results:

• 51% of matched otolaryngology residents were affiliated with their matched institution (25% HP, 26% AI).
• Applicants with home programs were more likely to remain in the same geographic region (OR 1.742, p=0.003).
• Applicants with home programs matched into significantly larger residency programs (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• A majority of otolaryngology residents match at an institution where they have prior affiliation (HP or AI).
• Home programs are associated with increased geographic stability and matching into larger residency programs.
• These findings highlight the significance of home program affiliation in the otolaryngology match.