Research Fellowships for Unmatched Orthopaedic Applicants: What Can They Expect?

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Residency Match

Background:

• Unmatched orthopaedic surgery applicants frequently seek research fellowships to enhance their residency applications.
• The transition from medical school to residency is competitive, with research experience often being a key differentiator.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the trend in online orthopaedic research fellowship postings from 2019 to 2024.
• To characterize fellowships available to unmatched applicants, focusing on mentorship and funding.
• To evaluate the support and mentorship quality experienced by fellows.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of an online orthopaedic forum for fellowship postings (2019-2020, 2024-2025).
• Electronic surveys administered to unmatched applicants who completed fellowships (2022-2024) to assess funding and mentor advocacy.
• Data collection on fellowship characteristics, funding amounts, and applicant-reported experiences.

Main Results:

• Orthopaedic research fellowship postings increased by 165% (54 to 143) between 2019 and 2024.
• In 2024-2025, 56% (80) of fellowships were for unmatched applicants; less than half detailed match support (49%) or funding (36%).
• Fellows received average funding of $38,180, reported high mentor advocacy (53%), and 83% received residency application feedback.

Conclusions:

• Orthopaedic research fellowships for unmatched applicants have significantly increased, yet online listings lack crucial details on financial and application support.
• While mentors generally provide strong advocacy, transparency in fellowship offerings is needed to aid applicants in making informed decisions.
• Improving the clarity of fellowship characteristics is essential for guiding unmatched applicants through their research years.