Improving Applicant Satisfaction in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Matching: The Role of Preference Signaling

The orthopaedic surgery residency match is becoming increasingly more competitive with a disproportionate number of applicants to positions. As the residency application process has become more competitive, applicants have resorted to applying broadly to improve their chance of a successful match. Preference signaling was implemented for orthopaedic surgery for the 2022-2023 match cycle which allowed applicants to "signal" 30 programs of their choosing.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of preference signaling on orthopaedic surgery applicant experiences and outcomes in the 2023 residency application cycle and match. An anonymous electronically based survey study developed using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) was send to 895 applicants to a single orthopedic residency program. 148 applicants filled out some portion of the survey for a 16.5% response rate.

51% of applicants applied to 61-100 programs. Applicants received more interview offers from programs they signaled compared to programs they did not signal. 50% of applicants responded that the number of allotted signals was "just right", with more applicants responding that the number of signals allotted was "too many" rather than "too few". 62% of applicants agreed that signaling increased his/her chances of receiving an interview offer at a signaled program, 66% were satisfied with the results of the match, and 50% thought signaling had a positive impact on the application process.

Overall, preference signaling was well received by applicants and may help to connect applicants with residency programs they are specifically interested in. Level of Evidence: III.