Analysis of the microsurgery fellowship match: 2019-2022 update

A recent analysis of microsurgery fellowship match data published in 2019 demonstrated increased competition for available positions. With growing opportunities in the field, the authors hypothesize that the landscape for both applicants and programs has become more competitive. The aim of this study is to compare two periods of match data to inform residents and programs in microsurgery.

Microsurgery fellowship match data was obtained from the San Francisco Match with approval by the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery for the years 2014-2022. Data were stratified into the categories of 2016-2018 and 2019-2022. Parameters assessed included: program and position fill rates, match rates, and in-service examination percentiles. Data were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square tests and unpaired t-tests.

The median number of participating programs and positions increased to 29 and 47 in 2019-2022, compared with 23 and 40 in 2016-2018. This coincided with a decrease in the number of applicants per position (1.3 [52-40] vs. 1.1 [50-47], p = .45). There was a significant increase in the match rate between groups (67.8% vs. 80.2%, p = .007). Recently, 2022 saw the lowest position fill rate on record, at 75.4% (40 of 53 positions filled), down from 85.3% (35 of 41) in 2018 (p = .35) and 95.6% (43 of 45) in 2019 (p = .006). Mean in-service examination percentiles for successfully matched applicants did not differ between (2016-2018) and (2019-2022) applicants.

Recent years have seen a rise in the number of microsurgery fellowship training programs with a decline in the number of applicants. Accordingly, there has been an increased match rate for prospective applicants. Despite this, a pool of unmatched applicants and unfilled positions with training opportunities still remain. The reasons for which are likely multifactorial.