Orthopaedic Research Year Fellowships: Enhancing Medical Student Productivity and Hands‑On Experience

Orthopaedic surgery was the fifth most competitive specialty in the 2024 Match cycle as measured by the percentage of positions filled overall (915 of 916 [99.9%]). With the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 examination now pass/fail, research experience and publications have become increasingly important for applicants. This study explores key aspects of orthopaedic surgery research fellowships for medical students including the average number of publications and presentations, additional learning opportunities, and total number of fellows who matched into an orthopaedic surgery residency after their research year.

Research year fellowships were identified through an online search using publicly available information and the search terms "Orthopaedic Research Fellowship" and "Orthopaedic Research Gap Year" in May 2024. If available, information from individual program websites was used. Programs were contacted to provide the number of publications, presentations, and clinical opportunities offered by the program and the number of previous research fellows matched.

In total, 130 orthopaedic research year fellowship programs were identified. Information was collected for 80 programs through survey response or publicly available information. The average number of fellowship-related publications was 11.7 (range 2 to 30) and presentations was 11.86 (range 1 to 60). In addition, 68 programs offered additional opportunities including clinical and operating room exposure, educational experiences, and mentorship. The total number of research fellows from each program who matched into orthopaedic surgery ranged from 0 to 30.

This study found that orthopaedic research fellowships offer medical students an average of 11.7 publications and 11.86 presentations, along with notable clinical exposure. This study offers insights into key characteristics of research fellowships for students evaluating programs, while also highlighting the need for future research to determine which applicants benefit most and how the role of these fellowships is changing in light of the pass/fail United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 examination.