Making the match and breaking it: values, perceptions, and obstacles of trainees applying into physician-scientist...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician-Scientist Training
• Residency Matching

Background:

• The physician-scientist workforce is crucial but faces attrition due to non-academic career paths.
• The National Research Matching Program (NRMP) has assumptions that may not align with applicant needs.
• Barriers in the residency matching process impact the retention of physician-scientist trainees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey physician-scientist trainees about their experiences with the 2021-2022 NRMP application cycle.
• To identify key priorities and stressors for applicants to physician-scientist training programs (PSTPs).
• To assess adherence to NRMP policies during the post-interview communication phase.

Main Methods:

• Survey-based feedback from 27 physician-scientist training program applicants across 17 U.S. institutions.
• Analysis of applicant priorities, stress levels, and experiences with NRMP policies.
• Focus on the 2021-2022 application cycle for research-oriented residency programs.

Main Results:

• 93% of applicants identified "scientific community" as the most important program feature.
• Female applicants placed higher value on personal and family support infrastructure.
• 18/27 respondents found "waiting for interviews" most stressful; ~50% encountered NRMP policy violations.
• 93% were contacted post-interview, with 1/3 feeling pressured regarding ranking preferences.

Conclusions:

• Key applicant priorities include fostering trainee community and structured mentoring.
• Inconsistencies in post-interview communication among programs present an opportunity for improvement.
• Enhanced support is needed for applicants to evaluate programs based on clinical, scientific, and academic interests while adhering to NRMP policies.