International Medical Graduates Matching Into U.S. General Surgery Residency: 30-Year Match Trends

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Workforce Analysis
• Residency Matching Trends

Background:

• International medical graduates (IMGs) represent a vital segment of the U.S. surgical workforce.
• Limited contemporary data exists on IMGs' participation in U.S. general surgery residency programs.
• This study analyzes 30-year trends in IMG matching into general surgery residencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the trends of U.S. M.D. seniors, D.O. seniors, and IMGs matching into U.S. general surgery residency positions over a 30-year period (1994-2023).
• To identify shifts in the composition of the general surgery residency applicant pool and matched physicians.

Main Methods:

• Utilized National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reports from 1994 to 2023.
• Analyzed match percentages for U.S. M.D. seniors, D.O. seniors, and U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen IMGs in categorical and preliminary general surgery positions.
• Employed linear regression to assess annual percentage changes and R-squared values to measure variance.

Main Results:

• IMG match percentages for both categorical and preliminary general surgery positions have significantly increased over 30 years.
• U.S. M.D. seniors' match percentages in categorical positions have steadily declined, with a concurrent rise in U.S. D.O. seniors.
• By 2023, IMGs filled 10.3% of categorical and 44.5% of preliminary general surgery positions, with non-U.S. citizen IMGs filling a larger proportion of preliminary roles.

Conclusions:

• The proportion of U.S. allopathic M.D. seniors matching into categorical general surgery residencies has decreased over the past three decades.
• Concurrently, there has been a notable increase in matches for U.S. osteopathic D.O. seniors and international medical graduates.
• These evolving trends have significant implications for the future composition and dynamics of the U.S. surgical workforce.