Publication Trends of Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency Applicants Without Numeric Step 1 Scores

Little is known regarding the impact of the Step 1 score shift on the importance of publications for applicants to integrated plastic surgery residencies. The Class of 2024 represents the first cohort of integrated plastic surgery residents to match without a numeric Step 1 score.

A bibliometric analysis of 555 integrated plastic surgery residents from the 3 most recent graduating medical school cohorts was conducted in September 2024. Data included publication count, authorship status, article type, and journal quality indicators.

The average number of publications for all residents analyzed was 7.33 and remained relatively consistent between classes. The percentage of applicants matching without any publications declined within each subsequent class, from 16.9% (PGY-3) to 15.2% (PGY-2) and 9.3% (PGY-1). Similarly, matched applicants without a first-author publication decreased from 37.1% and 38% in the PGY-3 and PGY-2 classes to 29.5% in the PGY-1 class. Furthermore, the proportion of applicants matching without a publication in a plastic surgery journal dropped steadily by ∼8% annually. Matched international medical graduates were responsible for a disproportionately greater number of publications than U.S. graduates. Residents at Top-20 programs exhibited 50% more publications than nontop 20 programs. The average 2-year impact factor among all publications was 3.6 and remained relatively consistent between classes. Among publications in plastic surgery journals, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was the most common. Clinical research articles were the most common article type analyzed.

The Step 1 pass/fail transition hasn't significantly changed total publication output but has emphasized first-author, plastic surgery-specific publications, and having at least 1 publication. Residency directors may increasingly be utilizing these metrics as soft criteria for selection.