Impact of Preference and Geographic Signaling on Interview and Match Outcomes Among Midwestern Pediatric Residency...

To assess the impact of preference signals (PS) and geographic signals (GS) on pediatric interview and match results in the 2023 to 2024 application cycle.

Residency programs provided deidentified application data (number of applicants, interview invitations, and applicants interviewed, ranked, and matched). Applicants were subdivided by degree type (MD/DO/IMG), underrepresented in medicine (URiM) status, and couples match/local student status. The proportion of applicants in each category who did/did not utilize PS/GS was compared using chi-square and Fisher's tests with OR and 95% CI reported.

Ten participating programs received 11,194 applications (64.6 +/- 47.5 per available position); 10.4% included PS and 57.5% used GS. Applicants using PS had higher odds of receiving interview invitations (OR: 7.15, P<.001), interviewing (OR 5.41, P<.001), and matching (OR: 17.12, P<.001) than those without PS. Applicants using GS had higher odds of receiving invitations, interviewing, and matching, but this was not true across all subcategories. PS was associated with increased odds of interviewing once invited (OR 4.82, P = .004), and of matching once interviewed (OR 5.80, P<.001). Candidates in a "matchable" rank position with PS had 8.75× higher odds of matching at a program versus those without PS (95% CI: 5.86-13.20, P<.001).

In this cohort, applicants using PS and GS were more likely to receive interview invitations, complete an interview, and match with programs than those without PS or GS, with PS a stronger influence than GS.