Applicant Factors for Matching Into an Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Fellowship.

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic surgery
• Medical education
• Surgical fellowship matching

Background:

• Initiatives to increase diversity in orthopaedic surgery have been ongoing for two decades.
• Recent data collection over three years focuses on demographic trends in fellowship matches.
• This study specifically analyzes the applicant pool for foot and ankle fellowships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in foot and ankle fellowship applicants.
• To characterize the demographic profile of the applicant pool.
• To identify factors associated with successful fellowship matches.

Main Methods:

• Applicant data from a fellowship application service (2022-2024) was analyzed.
• Demographic factors (gender, race, ethnicity) and applicant metrics (AOA, USMLE Step 2, application numbers) were recorded.
• Statistical analyses included chi-squared tests and logistic regression, comparing US-trained graduates and foreign medical graduates (FMGs).

Main Results:

• Out of 286 applicants, 99.2% of US/Canadian graduates matched compared to 43.7% of FMGs (P < .00001).
• For FMGs, the number of interview invitations was associated with matching; over 6 interviews yielded a >95% match likelihood.
• US-trained applicants showed representation trends compared to ACGME and US Census data for various demographic groups.

Conclusions:

• The vast majority of US-trained foot and ankle fellowship applicants successfully matched.
• Foreign medical graduate applicants faced significantly lower match rates.
• Interview invitations emerged as a key factor for FMG success in the match.